What to Know Firefighters responded to multiple cars ablaze at a huge shopping center in Brooklyn; it's not clear what caused the seven-alarm inferno

Twenty-one people, 18 of them firefighters, were hurt; all of the victims are expected to be OK

Kings Plaza has more than 120 stores, including Macy's, Best Buy, Sears, H&M, Michael Kors, Express and Foot Locker

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Police have arrested a man in connection to a seven-alarm inferno that tore through a multi-level parking garage at Brooklyn's Kings Plaza Shopping Center Monday, enveloping the entire area in thick smoke, engulfing more than 100 vehicles and leaving nearly two dozen people hurt.



Police say they've arrested Avon Stephens, 23, on an arson charge in the fire at a parking garage at the mall on Avenue U and Flatbush Avenue. A motive wasn't clear, and details on an attorney for Stephens weren't immediately available.

The fire call came in shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, and the blaze quickly escalated from a two-alarm to a four-alarm fire, then became a six-alarm inferno within an hour. By 11:15 a.m., it was a seven-alarm blaze. It was under control by noon.



Twenty-one people, 18 of them firefighters, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, mostly related to smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion. Four of the victims were taken to hospitals. Fire officials warned the patient total would likely rise.



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A law enforcement source said 137 cars were damaged, and 70 of them were burned to their shells, many of them Mercedes.

AP

The garage holds about 4,000 spaces and fire officials said 120 cars are normally stored there by a car dealership. There were some explosions from car tires burning; officials said there is no risk of collapse.

Citizen app video showed smoke spewing from the garage as bystanders crowded near emergency vehicles, seeking shelter from the shroud of smoke.

More than a half-dozen MTA bus lines were running with delays in the area because of the FDNY activity. The department said more than 200 of its members responded.



A mall spokesperson said to avoid the area until further notice. The plaza was closed, though officials said the fire did not extend to any stores.

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Kings Plaza has more than 120 stores, including Macy's, Best Buy, Sears, H&M, Michael Kors, Express and Foot Locker.

In 2013, it became the subject of a controversial order that temporarily banned people younger than 18 without the presence of an adult after hundreds of teens attacked patrons and vandalized the shopping center, forcing it to shut down.



No one was ultimately charged in that fray, nor was anyone hurt.

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