国际英语新闻：Business area in NY's Queens Borough catches big fire

NEW YORK, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- A bustling business area in Queens Borough of New York City caught a big fire Saturday, when the city is bracing for Valentine's Day.

No one was injured, according to fire department officer.

The fire began at 10 a.m. in a row of stores on 37th Avenue and the affected businesses include a furniture store, a frame shop, an art supply store, a packaging store, a liquor store, a grocery store and a beauty supply store.

Firefighters work on the scene as a bustling business area catches a big fire in Queens Borough of New York City, the United States, Feb. 13, 2010. No one was injured, according to fire department officer.

Maria Lalita, the owner of a grocery store, told Xinhua that she was bringing flowers and toys to the outside when she noticed the fire. She yelled and dragged her husband out of the basement to safety.

"All is gone," she said, with tears in her eyes.

Firemen, numbered at dozens, are still struggling to control the fire, which is still burning when the story is filed. One helicopter was hovering above the affected area and left afterwards.

Huge clouds of smoke can be seen from kilometers way.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.