Restaurant Inferno Triggers Mayday – Firefighters TRAPPED!

Fire truck turning on a city street — Photo: danielcgold / Shutterstock

A four-alarm fire tore through three Brooklyn restaurants Saturday evening, trapping firefighters under a collapsing roof and sending six of them to the hospital.

Quick Take

The fire broke out just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday at 135 North 5th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, starting inside Juliette Restaurant before spreading to two neighboring eateries.
More than 230 fire and Emergency Medical Service personnel responded as the blaze grew to a fourth alarm.
A localized roof collapse forced crews to pull back, and a smoke explosion about 35 minutes into the fight triggered a mayday call.
Six firefighters suffered minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals; no restaurant patrons were seriously hurt.
The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has not yet determined what sparked the fire.

A Saturday Evening Blaze Grows Fast in Williamsburg

The call came in just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Flames broke out at 135 North 5th Street, between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street, inside Juliette Restaurant. Within a short time, the fire jumped to two adjoining restaurants in the same building. What started as a kitchen fire in one storefront became a fast-moving structure fire threatening an entire block of Williamsburg.

Fire officials escalated the response quickly. News 12 reported the blaze “quickly escalated to a fourth alarm,” pulling in 231 fire and EMS personnel. ABC7NY described the scene as more than a hundred firefighters swarming the block, hose lines stretched across the street as crews worked to keep the fire from spreading further into the dense Brooklyn neighborhood.

Roof Collapse and a Mayday Call Mark a Dangerous Fight

Conditions inside turned dangerous as the fire spread through the building’s roof structure. FDNY Deputy Chief Michele Fitzsimmons told reporters, “We had a localized collapse on the roof at one point. Members had to withdraw and then go back in”. That kind of pullback and re-entry is standard safety protocol when command officers sense a structure weakening beneath their crews.

About 35 minutes into the firefight, conditions worsened further. A smoke explosion occurred, prompting a mayday call over the radio, a signal reserved for firefighters in serious trouble. Mayday calls trigger an immediate shift in tactics, with commanders pulling crews back and accounting for every member on scene before resuming an attack on the fire.

Six Firefighters Hurt, No Serious Civilian Injuries Reported

When the smoke cleared, six firefighters had suffered injuries described as minor. ABC7NY reported all six were expected to recover and were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Importantly, officials said no one inside the restaurants was seriously hurt, a relief given how quickly the fire moved through the building and how many people are typically inside Williamsburg restaurants on a Saturday evening.

Restaurant fires carry outsized risk for exactly this reason. New York City’s own fire safety guidance notes that cooking equipment causes nearly 60 percent of restaurant fires, with failure to clean grease buildup a factor in almost a quarter of them. That combination of open flame, grease, and tight kitchen quarters can turn a small flare-up into a fast-spreading emergency before anyone realizes how serious it has become.

Roof Collapses Remain One of the Deadliest Risks Firefighters Face

Saturday’s collapse was localized, and every firefighter walked away. That outcome is not guaranteed in commercial-building fires nationwide. Federal workplace safety investigators have documented multiple incidents where restaurant roof collapses killed firefighters outright, underscoring why commanders treat any sign of structural weakening as a reason to pull crews back immediately, even mid-fight.

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MAYDAY EXPLOSION: FDNY transmitted a 2nd Alarm Signal 10-66 at 135 N 5th St (Bedford to Berry) in Williamsburg. Active restaurant fire with a rear explosion and members reported trapped. Rescue 2 collapse units &…

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The FDNY has not yet announced a cause for the fire, and investigators are still working to determine how it started inside Juliette Restaurant before it spread next door. The city’s Bureau of Fire Investigation typically handles that process, examining the scene for signs of equipment failure, electrical issues, or other ignition sources once the building is stable enough to enter safely.

For now, the block along North 5th Street is left assessing the damage. Three restaurants that anchored a stretch of Williamsburg are shut down, their futures tied to inspections and repairs still to come. What is clear is the scale of the response and the risk firefighters accepted to make sure everyone inside got out alive.