A two-alarm fire ripped through the rear of a three-story mixed-use building in Van Nest on Monday just before 1 p.m., turning a long-vacant ground-floor storefront into a charred husk as neighbors looked on. Firefighters chased smoke hidden inside the walls while ladder trucks and engines crowded Unionport Road, keeping the flames from jumping to nearby buildings. Officials said there were no injuries, and fire marshals have opened an investigation.
FDNY response
According to the FDNY, crews were called to 1729 Unionport Road shortly before 1 p.m. and quickly upgraded the incident to a second alarm as firefighters hunted for concealed smoke and hotspots inside the structure. More than 140 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the blaze, which started in the rear of the three-story building that once housed a bakery, as reported by News 12 New York.
Building history and storefront
Property listings describe 1729 Unionport Road as a three-story mixed-use building constructed in 1928, with commercial space on the ground floor. Business listings identify a bakery at the site before the storefront went vacant, according to MapQuest.
Management and investigation
A building manager told reporters that her team had taken over management of the property roughly two weeks earlier and declined to speak on camera. Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the blaze, city officials said, as reported by News 12 New York.
Why vacant properties matter
Vacant or poorly maintained properties can increase fire risk and make both firefighting and follow-up investigations more complicated, an issue city auditors and safety officials have repeatedly flagged. A 2025 update from the New York City Comptroller examined enforcement gaps that can leave buildings vulnerable and underscored the need for stronger code enforcement and timely inspections, according to a report by the NYC Comptroller.
