Police say the five-alarm fire first broke out inside the warehouse on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Drone video released by the FDNY showed the scope of the overnight warehouse fire, which started right next door to the third-floor woodworking studio where artist Christopher Bailey has been making custom furniture for more than 20 years.
"I walked here and then I saw what was happening. And it was very clear that it was one very hot spot that was burning," Bailey said.
The building, built in 1870 and constructed mostly of heavy timber, fueling the massive inferno.
Forced out of the structure by the flames, firefighters battled the blaze from land and from the water. In the rear of the building, FDNY crews docked the fire boat Marine 9, a 140-foot vessel with the capacity to pump 50,000 gallons of water a minute.
"I was notified at 5:00 this morning that a fire broke out on the third floor. We're on the fourth floor. I just see water pouring in through the roof," one woman told Eyewitness News.
"We had extensive damage to this building. We had the roof collapse and we also had the fourth floor collapse. So we will have structural engineers evaluate that," FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said.
By daybreak, the fire was put under control, but after the sun went down, stubborn flames once again picked up. FDNY ladders were still up while crewed dosed hotspots in the four-story warehouse that has devastated dozens of artists in the building.
George Fiala edits the local community paper from an office in the building.
"There's so much water being used to put out this fire it's kind of like it's weather event except it's a man-made weather event," he said.
One tenant, who declined to be identified, says she uses her space to restore historical pieces of art for museums and high-end galleries.
"A lot of chemistry, a lot of research, a lot of very careful work under the microscope. It's very tedious, careful work to take care of everyone's collection," she said.
The large building, houses multiple artist studios, with 50 to 100 artists using the space. Eyewitness News obtained a glimpse of the heartbreaking destruction inside, where "Red Hook Open Studios," a showcase of more than 150 artists, is scheduled to take place in October.
"We're kind of trying to rally the neighborhood. It kind of reminds me of the disaster from Sandy, where all the artists and all the businesses are like reaching out. They already started their crowdsourcing," said Deborah Ugoretz, co-organizer of "Red Hook Open Studios."
No one was believed to be inside at the time of the blaze, which is under investigation.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the fire.
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