On January 19th, at around 3:45 pm, a second-level fire broke out upstairs at the “Shanghai Yu Garden Restaurant” on Route 40 in the Flushing Center area, emitting thick smoke. The Flushing Center area was filled with numerous fire trucks and ambulances, causing major traffic disruptions. The fire was approximately contained within about an hour. Businesses in the building and diners were urgently evacuated.
The specific location of the fire was on the third floor of a three-story commercial building at 135-41 Route 40 in Flushing, with Shanghai Yu Garden Restaurant downstairs (this is the new expansion part of Yu Garden, previously the Curry Leaf Malay restaurant), with thick smoke billowing from the third floor. It’s reported that the third floor is a massage parlor (rehabilitation center), the second floor houses a beauty salon and hair salon. The fire department’s social media account indicated that the fire was classified as a second-level one.
The businesses along Route 40 in Flushing are densely packed, with a high concentration of restaurants and a constant flow of diners, yet the narrow streets pose a significant risk to public safety and property in the event of a fire. Many customers inside eateries on Route 40 were trapped and afraid to come out. The Flushing Center area was crowded with onlookers, causing traffic jams.
In videos, firefighters were seen pulling hoses into the building, climbing to the roof through aerial ladders, breaking the windows on the third floor, and thick smoke billowed out instantly. Firefighters also entered the businesses on the third floor, breaking windows from inside to release the thick smoke.
Firefighters systematically checked each floor to ensure there were no people trapped and no remaining embers. The fire was declared extinguished at around 4:35 pm with no reports of casualties.
The fire led to the closure of the northbound lanes of Main Street in Flushing, with buses having to be rerouted. As it was during the evening rush hour, traffic was severely disrupted, affecting passengers using public transportation. By 5:30 pm, though the fire was out, Route 40 remained closed with several fire trucks still on the scene.