Heavy smoke filled the sky in Yonkers, New York, after a warehouse went up in flames Saturday morning.
It was the second time this month that fire and hazmat crews were called to the European Beauty Concept warehouse on Woodworth Avenue.
Hazmat called to Yonkers warehouse fire, homes evacuated
Fire officials said a call came in around 3 a.m. reporting smoke coming out of the building, and when crews made entry, they discovered it wasn’t a fire, but chemicals had oxidized and were releasing a toxic gas.
A hazmat response team was called to the scene, and three homes in close proximity to the building were evacuated.
There was a fire at the same location just over two weeks ago, so firefighters were familiar with the building.
“This one was fresh in our minds. So when members got here and saw which building it was, they knew immediately it was chemically evolved. So it made it a bit easier,” said PJ Goldfeder, with the Yonkers Fire Department. “We were a little more standoffish, thinking to first find out what the chemicals were before we made the entry.”
A fire broke out around 7 a.m., with orange flames bursting out of the building. It grew to three alarms.
The Yonkers Fire Department said it started battling a three-alarm fire on Woodworth Avenue after chemicals ignited inside a building early on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025.
Yonkers Fire Department
Fire crews continued dousing the building with water for several hours.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.
The exact cause of the initial chemical reaction and fire is still under investigation. CBS News New York reached out to the warehouse owners, who had no comment at this time.
Residents were told earlier in the day to keep their windows closed. Officials have since said the impact to air quality is minimal.
Forklift crash sparked previous fire at Yonkers warehouse, officials said
On Sept. 2, there was a chemical reaction and fire at the same warehouse.
In that incident, fire officials said it appeared a forklift crashed inside the building, causing a chemical reaction that sparked a fire.
Emergency responders on the scene of a hazmat situation in Yonkers on Sept. 2, 2025.
CBS News New York
“There was some beauty chemicals, household beauty chemicals, and we believe that there was a forklift involved that damaged one of the containers which caused it to spill and then created a chemical reaction,” Yonkers Fire Commissioner William Fitzpatrick said at the time.
About a dozen people in the area were evacuated, and two civilians and a few firefighters were treated for minor injuries.
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