A large fire broke out Sunday evening at a commercial building on Middlebelt Road in Garden City, sending flames and smoke dozens of feet into the air as firefighters battled the blaze for hours.

Garden City Fire officials said the fire started just after 5 p.m., creating a massive plume of smoke visible from blocks away. Spectators gathered to watch as crews worked to contain the flames that eventually consumed the building.

"The flames, you can feel them from there and right to the porch here," said Chris Gruenwald, a neighbor who witnessed the fire from across the street. "The smoke was everywhere, could barely breathe outside."

The building held significant memories for Ghazi Darwiche, who operated a kitchen materials business there for five years before closing two years ago and mo

See Full Page