5-alarm fire still burning at Red Hook warehouse; home to artists and small businesses

Two firefighters are being treated by EMS for minor injuries.

Edric Robinson

Sep 18, 2025, 6:42 AM

Updated 1 hr ago

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A massive fire is still tearing through a waterfront warehouse in Red Hook Tuesday morning, and firefighters say it’s not yet under control.
The FDNY says the first call came in around 11:25 p.m. Monday at 481 Van Brunt St., near Reed Street. Crews arrived in less than three minutes to find heavy fire already ripping through the second, third, and fourth floors—and spreading through the roof.
Because of how intense it was, FDNY says they had to pull firefighters out of the building for safety. Chief of Operations Kevin Woods explained:
“Due to the amount of fire and the structural stability of the building, we removed our members and attacked the fire from the exterior, from the front and the rear with large caliber streams. The rear of this building is on the water, so we called in one of our big fire boats, Marine Nine, and we used some of their big guns… to extinguish the fire.”
By 2:33 a.m., the blaze had climbed to a fifth alarm—bringing in more than 250 firefighters and EMS crews. The roof and part of the fourth floor collapsed overnight, and structural engineers will now have to check the stability of the building.
Video shows the roof burning, thick smoke pouring out, and fire crews blasting water both on the ground and from boats in the bay.
Inside the building are dozens of art studios, furniture shops, and other small businesses. Artist Lewis Matheney says this is a devastating loss just weeks before Red Hook Open Studios, an event where hundreds of visitors usually tour the space.
“There are several artists that have artist co-ops in here… and this is literally their dreams going up in smoke right now,” Matheney said.
Two firefighters have minor injuries, according to FDNY. Van Brunt Street remains blocked off near the warehouse as crews continue to pour water on the flames. The cause of the fire is under investigation.