- Some 200 firefighters battled the blaze in Breezy Point early Tuesday
- The fire was fed by high winds and made more perilous by downed electrical wires
- "It was terrible," said Steve Mastrandrea, a local resident
- In September, the same area endured severe weather as a powerful cold front brought heavy rain, high winds and a tornado
New York (CNN) -- An inferno spread across a flooded neighborhood of Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, New York, torching at least 50 homes as a potent mix of weather blasted the region.
Some 200 firefighters battled the blaze in Breezy Point early Tuesday, which was fed by high winds and made more perilous by downed electrical wires, according to witnesses and local authorities.
By daybreak, emergency personnel and local volunteers could be seen sloshing through flooded streets to put out patches of remaining flames while others assessed what was lost.
"It was terrible," said Steve Mastrandrea, a Breezy Point resident and volunteer fire fighter, who said he was "trying to give a helping hand and ... got trapped."
"We couldn't help anybody," he said. "I couldn't even help myself."
Flood waters engulfed Mastrandrea's home and began to rise from his basement as the fire raged outside.
"We couldn't tell if the fires were 100 yards or a mile away," he said. "It was just so bright. I couldn't tell where it was.
"I thought we were going to have to jump in the water," he added.
Mastrandrea's home was largely destroyed as he fled with his family to higher ground.
"There's nothing here," he said. "Our homes can always be rebuilt. As long as we have our lives and we're safe."
It is not clear what started Tuesday's fire.
In September, the same area endured severe weather as a powerful cold front brought heavy rain, high winds and a tornado into the beachfront neighborhood of New York City.
