A quiet January 17, Martin Luther King Day, 2005 in Bay Ridge turned increasingly louder as the sounds of fire trucks could be heard racing to the scene of a fire at Charlie's Handbag's on Bay 25 Street and 86th Street.
With a thick cloud of black smoke, people ran from the scene to escape the path of the smoke.
At one point, two individuals could be seen with fire extinquishers in their hands, possibly a last hope to douse the fire themselves. But it was too late, the fire was intense and only New York City's Bravest could put out this fire.
As firefighters pulled up to the scene, a 10-75 (Structural Fire) was quickly transmitted. The fire which broke out around 2:30 p.m. quickly spread to adjacent stores.
With heavy smoke and flames pouring out of the taxpayers, fire officials transmitted a second alarm to help get a better handle on the fire.
After nearly an hour, the fire was knocked down and brought under control.