Owners of 14 businesses destroyed by a five-alarm fire on Saturday may get a hand from the city—the city's Department of Small Business Services emergency response unit has been meeting with them, according to the Daily News. The agency said, "Our team is helping these businesses obtain copies of permits/licenses consumed by the fire, expedite [Fire Department] reports required for insurance claims as well as connecting them to other N.Y.C. Business Solutions services."
Unfortunately, at least one of the businesses—the Bainbridge Bakery—didn't have any insurance because it was rebuilding from an April fire that ruined the store. Residents are upset that these mom-and-pop businesses were struck—a 69-year-old said, "It breaks my heart. These stores have been here since I was born. It may not seem like a lot, but for seniors, it's devastating," while another said, "This neighborhood won't stay the same without these stores. We lost so much, and it affects so many people."
The FDNY is still investigating the cause of the fire, which took five hours and 200 firefighters to put out.
