A fire tore through a pizza shop and nearby business early Tuesday morning on Church Avenue in Flatbush—leaving heavy damage behind and raising concerns about e-bike batteries.
The fire broke out at a building near the corner of Church Avenue and East 31st Street. Witnesses said they saw smoke and flames coming from the pizza shop on the ground floor of the three-story building. A ladder truck was seen extended above the building, and much of the shop’s front appeared burnt out.
Outside the shop, two e-bikes were spotted charred and melted, and neighbors said firefighters were seen removing e-bike batteries from inside. While the FDNY has not officially confirmed the cause, neighbors believe the fire may have started inside the shop and spread quickly.
The business next door also suffered damage from the flames.
Neighbors told News 12 the pizza shop had just reopened after renovations a few months ago.
"This is a very good pizza shop. The people in there are very nice, loving, caring and everything," said Terrelle, a Flatbush resident. "I’m very shocked to see that the pizza shop burnt down. It’s crazy.”
Another neighbor, who goes by Crypto Johnny, added: “New store deli—come on—we can’t get our food no more. I don’t want that. It’s a loss for me.”
As of now, there’s no word from the FDNY on how the fire started or if anyone was injured.
News 12 will update this story as soon as more information is confirmed.