Four businesses gutted by overnight fire in the Bronx

Four businesses along West 183rd Street off Jerome Avenue in the Bronx were left burned out after a fire ripped through the block late Tuesday night.

Business owner Oskar Guzman said he got a call that his bakery was on fire and rushed to the scene.

“I take my clothes and I come right away to here to see what’s going on,” said Guzman, owner of Las Palmas Bakery.

A 33-year-old man who may have been working in one of the businesses suffered burns to his face and body, according to the FDNY.

The FDNY is still investigating the cause of the fire, while the Department of Buildings issued partial vacate orders for several businesses. Police are also investigating and said they are unsure whether a Molotov cocktail sparked the blaze.

Police said they know someone threw something into the businesses that led to the fire.

Guzman is now working with his insurance company to rebuild.

“I have to work again. We have to rebuild the building,” Guzman said.

Some people in the community told NY1 they believe an ongoing drug war could be behind the fire. They did not want to speak on camera out of fear for their safety.

While at the scene, NY1 saw several people openly selling drugs on the street.

Police said they cannot confirm whether the fire was gang- or drug-related.

District 14 Council Member Pierina Sanchez said the neighborhood has needed more help for decades.

“We are crying out for help. We need a lot of support in this neighborhood so our neighbors can feel safe,” Sanchez said.

Some neighbors said more officers on the street would help.

“Footposts by the NYPD is a piece of the puzzle but we’re talking about an all-out drug war that’s in place and playing out with this neighborhood as its stage,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said she has been reaching out to the mayor’s office for several years.

“As a local council member, I can’t fight the drug trade. What I can do is work with City Hall on violence. What I can do is work with City Hall on overdoses. What I can do is work with the neighborhood to make it feel safer. Even if we have to design a program that is reaching out to the folks that [are] doing the wrong thing, if it helps them to be safer, we have to think outside of the box. These are the things that I have been asking for, that I’ve been asking City Hall to work with me on and waiting to hear back,” Sanchez said.

A police spokesperson told NY1 that, as of now, there are no suspects identified or in custody related to the fire.