Brooklyn three-alarm fire damages deli and apartments; freezing temperatures complicate FDNY efforts

Firefighters tackled a three-alarm Brooklyn fire at a deli while battling freezing temperatures early on Wednesday morning.

FDNY officials said the blaze ignited just before 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 8 inside 590 Broadway in Williamsburg.

Members of Battalion 35 were among the first on the scene and encountered heavy smoke billowing from the deli, located on the first floor of the three-story structure.

The freezing weather hampered firefighting efforts from the state. Firefighters were hampered by frozen hydrants and inventory inside the deli, which delayed their ability to put out the fire. As a result, the flames quickly spread to several apartments above the store and necessitated the third-alarm call.

Approximately 138 firefighters from 33 units, along with the 90th Precinct and EMS units, arrived on the scene. Firefighters used five hose lines and worked their way inside in an aggressive interior attack to extinguish the blaze and bring it under control by about 7:20 a.m. Wednesday.

No serious injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is now under investigation by FDNY marshals.