There's not much of left of the Breezy Point neighborhood in Queens. As NBC News reported, a fire ravaged more than 80 homes and today their burnt out remains smoldered under a cloudy sky.

Charles Lane, of NPR member station WSHU, visited Breezy Point and he talked to resident Mike Bracci.

Bracci said he saw the fire burn for hours on Monday and he watched parents carrying children through chin-high water in search of safety.

Here's a bit of Charles' interview with Bracci:

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.