Suspicious Fire on Roger Avenue

On February, 10, 2011 there was a suspicious fire reported at Rockaway Metal on the corner of Roger Avenue and Gates Avenue. Firefighter, Joe Sanford Jr. stated that a call came in at approximately 5:30 am. Sanford stated that upon arrival it was not immediately clear how the fire actually started. But with further investigation it became clear that a car inside the premises was the catalyst. Due to a prior water leakage problem, authorities had basic knowledge of the premises preceding the event.
However, upon further investigation there were several new discoveries. The integrity of the buildings structure has been severely compromised due to years of neglect. Local officials speculate that the structure may collapse in the near future if action isn’t taken promptly. The Rockaway Mineral building has a bowstring roof, which has earned the reputation as “the most dangerous roof a firefighter will encounter,” and, “a roof that will fail in the early stages of a fire,” according to fireengineering.com. The neglect of Rockaway Metal is increasingly becoming a hazard to public employees and residents. Lastly, authorities also discovered that homeless people have been living the vacant facility to evade the harsh winter. There were mattresses and huge amounts of refuse stacked chaotically in the building. Authorities also speculate that the car may not have been inside the warehouse before the fire.
Detectives, local police, the fire department, and a Hazmat crew were on the scene. There is currently an investigation pending.