Illegal business damaged by fire in Monsey

A townhouse which illegally housed a linegerie business in its basement went up in flames on Tuesday morning, rendering the building uninhabitable.

Trouble began at out 9:45 a.m. when a woman smelled smoke at a two-home property at 112 Park Lane. When she checked the basement, she found the fire, which police believe was accidental.

About 60 firefighters from Monsey, Tallman, Spring Valley, Pearl River and Sufffern responded, fighting the blaze as it spread upward. Though the fire spread up the front of the home and damaged the roof, fire walls in the basement largely contained the burn and kept it from spreading to adjacent townhouses.

The property, owned by a corporate entity registered as “The Progress Group LLC,” included “Chic Linegerie,” a business which was not permitted for the residential area. Another illegal business, a wine distributor, was also found in an adjoining apartment. The homeowner has been slapped with violation notices for the business and the property’s certificate of occupancy has been revoked.