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Demolition nears completion after Williamsburg fire; future of site uncertain

Neighbors said they're just thankful that everybody made it out safely.

Melissa Rose Cooper

May 18, 2026, 11:00 PM

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Crews are working to pick up the pieces in Williamsburg after a fire left a dozen families without a home earlier this month.

The site of the three-story building on Grand Street now looks like an abandoned lot. Officials quickly determined the building, which also had a deli on the ground floor, was a collapse zone. Demolition efforts began the next day.

Neighbors said they're just thankful that everybody made it out safely.

"I know that they'll rebuild something else, but it's just tragic. It's hard enough already for people," said one man who works nearby.

A spokesperson for the Department of Buildings told News 12 the demolition is almost complete and that repairs are being made to an independent bearing wall. Once that's done, the property owner will determine future plans for the site.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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