A fire broke out in the newly opened Shanghai Yu Garden restaurant on Flushing’s 40th Road, located in a commercial building at 135-31 on the afternoon of January 19. The next day, the building was issued an evacuation order by the Building Department, requiring the entire building to be vacated. The fire had a significant impact on the operations of nearby businesses, forcing them to temporarily suspend their operations.
The commercial building at 135-31 on 40th Road, where the fire occurred, had the Shanghai Yu Garden’s new extension on the ground floor – originally occupied by the Curry Leaf Malaysian restaurant. Shanghai Yu Garden later took over the space to expand its operations, with the old Shanghai Yu Garden restaurant located adjacent to it. The second floor of the building was rented out for beauty and massage services, while the third floor was rented out for rehabilitation (massage). The back of the third floor of this building had been partially evacuated by the Building Department in October of last year due to violations.
The windows of the second and third floors damaged by the fire were boarded up the following day.
Additionally, the firefighting efforts resulted in water inundation, causing the first floor and basement to be flooded. The businesses with neighboring addresses at 135-33 and 135-29 were unable to operate due to water damage, even though they were not issued evacuation orders. The old shop of Shanghai Yu Garden restaurant had to temporarily close, posting a notice that stated, “Closed today, resume normal operation tomorrow.” The neighboring restaurant “Juyou Lou” also temporarily suspended its operations.
Flushing’s 40th Road is known for its abundance of eateries, often referred to as a “food street,” but it also harbors many illegal massage parlors. Women solicit customers openly on the street during the day, leading some to dub this street as Flushing’s red-light district. The presence of illicit activities poses security risks and tarnishes the reputation of the area.
Some neighboring property owners raised suspicions about the cause of the fire, but the Fire Department stated that the exact cause is still under investigation.