Dozens of families returned to the tight-knit community of Breezy Point on Wednesday, on the western edge of the Rockaway peninsula in Queens, to assess the damage. They were confronted with scenes of utter devastation, with many houses still smoldering.
Homes that did not burn had major flood damage, and houses on waterfront sites suffered wind damage, with some homes blown off their foundations and smashed together.
Of the 2,800 homes in Breezy Point, 111 homes were completely destroyed, an FNDY official said Wednesday. And 20 homes had some level of fire damage.
Though there were only a few minor injuries reported among residents and firefighters, officials have not ruled out the possibility that there may have been fatalities in Breezy Point, said Joe Downey, FDNY Chief of Special Operations, who was conducting search and recovery on Wednesday.
Fire officials said the cause of the inferno, where more than 200 firefighters responded, remains unclear.