On the evening of October 5, the residents of Tottenville, Staten Island, found themselves in shock as they witnessed a second-alarm fire tearing through Oishi, a Japanese restaurant owned by a Chinese family located at 17 Page Ave. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but the fire caused significant damage to the establishment, leaving its new owners heartbroken.
Local fire departments received the call around 6:45 PM, and upon arrival, firefighters were confronted with flames leaping high above the restaurant’s roof, accompanied by thick clouds of smoke. The situation was serious.
Around 25 engine companies and approximately 106 firefighters and emergency responders worked diligently at the scene. They managed to bring the blaze under control by 7:18 PM, less than an hour after their arrival. Fire officials categorized the incident as a second-alarm fire. The flames broke out just as twilight began to settle in, and by the time they were extinguished, darkness enveloped the area. While the community breathed a sigh of relief that there were no casualties, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Oishi is located near the intersection of Richmond Valley Road and Boscombe Avenue and is part of a restaurant chain that also has a location in Queens. Intriguingly, just a month prior to the fire, the restaurant underwent a change in ownership, rebranding from its previous identity as Fushimi, another Chinese-owned establishment. The rebranding took place on September 15, and it’s unclear if Oishi had officially opened its doors to customers before the fire broke out. Attempts to reach the restaurant for a comment were unsuccessful before this story went to press.
Fushimi first debuted its Staten Island branch in 2016, evolving from a previously high-end dining option called Takayama. Both Fushimi and its successor, Oishi, were highly regarded in the local community, fostering a loyal customer base.
