Smoke billowed over Canarsie on Thursday as a fire broke out at an industrial site on Preston Court.
A worker at 5601 Preston Court, who spoke with News 12 on the condition of anonymity, said sparks from his tools caused the fire. He said he was working on metal structures when the blaze began.
“This place is always on fire, and they’re doing work without permits in there,” one resident said.
City Department of Buildings records show no active work permits for the site, with the last issued in 2005. A DOB spokesperson said the department was not called to the scene. They did not answer our question about if they were investigating the lack of permits.
The FDNY says it's investigating the cause of the fire. News 12 covered four others in the area, all within a 10-minute radius, dating back to 2021.
The property, listed as permanently closed, is overrun with debris and blocked off from public access.
“I want the city to investigate 5601,” another resident said.
Efforts to contact the deed holders were unsuccessful.