Flames tore through the rear of an auto body shop at 2170 Webster Avenue in Fordham on Monday morning, sending smoke into a neighboring one-story shop before 65 firefighters from a dozen units knocked it down in roughly 35 minutes. Amid the chaos, crews pulled a cat from inside the building.
FDNY's 7th Division began receiving calls about the fire at 11:40 a.m., according to Bronx Times. Engine Company 48 and Ladder Company 56 arrived to find a one-story building with smoke showing, the outlet reported.
Once on scene, firefighters stretched three hoselines to knock down the main body of the fire, the Bronx Times report said. Truck companies cut holes in the roof, while other crews searched both the burning shop and the adjacent auto body shop impacted by drifting smoke for any trapped workers. Those searches turned up no trapped workers, per the same account. Division 7 placed the fire under control at 12:15 p.m.
Lithium-Ion Batteries Noted, but Cause Still Unconfirmed
Radio traffic during the response indicated that lithium-ion batteries were found inside the structure, the outlet reported, though it has not been confirmed that the batteries caused the fire. The FDNY Fire Marshals Office will determine the fire's official cause and origin, according to the same report — leaving the ignition source an open question for now.
That unresolved detail lands amid a citywide surge in battery-related fires that has put FDNY officials on edge. As of October, lithium-ion battery fires in New York City were up 41% year-over-year, though 61% of this year's battery fires happened outside of homes, apartments, or businesses, according to Streetsblog NYC. Earlier in the year, FDNY officials reported investigating 235 such fires citywide through July, a 70% jump over the 138 recorded during the same stretch of 2025, as reported by Daily Dispatch. An August 2025 NFPA Journal report cited more than 800 lithium-ion battery-caused fires citywide, resulting in 30 deaths and over 400 injuries, per AEE Law.
Auto Repair Business Listed at Webster Avenue Address
NYBizDb lists Moreno Lalo Auto Repair, Corp. as based at 2170 Webster Avenue and says it was established on March 24, 2014, according to NYBizDb. Under the NYC Fire Code, commercial facilities handling flammable chemicals or motor fluids — like auto repair shops — must maintain specialized FDNY permits and keep a Certificate of Fitness holder on duty during hazardous operations, per NYC.gov. The city also runs a dedicated 311 process letting residents and business owners report improper storage, charging, or disposal of lithium-ion batteries directly to FDNY Fire Prevention units for next-business-day inspection.
Engine Company 48, one of the first units on scene, was ranked the 8th busiest engine company citywide in 2025, logging 6,597 total dispatch runs, 940 fire responses, and 126 all-hands or greater incidents, according to FIRE WIRE. That workload underscores how stretched the Fordham firehouse's crews already are before responding to blazes like Monday's.
Pattern of Bronx Auto Shop Fires Continues
Monday's fire adds to a run of recent Bronx commercial fires tied to auto repair and mechanic shops. In Van Nest house fire coverage, Hoodline detailed a Van Nest shop fire that spread to nearby homes and injured four firefighters. A Bronx auto repair shop fire also caused a roof collapse and injured responding firefighters, prompting the city's Department of Buildings to issue full vacate orders for the shop and two adjacent homes.
At the Webster Avenue fire, searches of the shop and neighboring business found no workers trapped, and firefighters rescued a cat from the building. The Fire Marshals Office investigation into the exact cause remains open.
