Dive Brief:

• A dozen New York City firefighters were injured when a blaze struck the warehouse of a produce vendor in the Hunts Point Produce Market.
• Hunts Point is the largest produce market on earth, covering 113 acres in the South Bronx. Fruit and vegetables arrive daily from 49 states and 55 countries before making their way to grocers, foodservice companies and restaurants around the New York City area.
• The market is housed in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. The area around the market suffers from crime levels much higher than average, and Hunts Point uses extensive security measures. Firefighters had to break through security walls and tear down security fencing in order to reach the fire.

Dive Insight:

If there's any good news from yesterdays fire it is this: firefighters were able to contain the blaze to one building, and it appears that only one of the firefighters was injured badly -- suffering serious respiratory complications. If you've ever seen been to Hunts Point -- where vendors work in close quarters in a seemingly never-ending series of connected buildings filled with flammable cardboard boxes and wooden pallets -- you know what a miracle that is.