A Queens woman who has been driving a hot-dog truck for more than 30 years watched her business go up in flames Monday.
Marie Emmi had just pulled her truck into a gas station at around 10:30 a.m. to fill up on her way to the Lake Success Shopping Center in Nassau County to serve the lunchtime crowd when the vehicle suddenly burst into flames, witnesses said.
“She pulled in as she regularly does before the truck went on fire,” said John Zrinzo, who works at the Mobil station on Union Turnpike near Little Neck Parkway in Glen Oaks, Queens. “We ran outside when we heard all the commotion and saw the truck burning.
“The flames were intense,” he said.
One of the gas-station attendants had to pull a stunned Emmi out of the truck before it became completely engulfed in flames, Zrinzo said.
Emmi, who has been selling Marie’s Hot Dogs from her truck for more than three decades, set up shop daily in the parking lot of the shopping center, her son told The Post.
“She’s out of business after 30 years,” said Joey Emmi, 39. “This is very sad.”
The official cause of the fire is unknown, but employees at the gas station said they believe propane tanks in the back of the truck may have ignited.
Joey Emmi said his mom is distraught over losing her beloved truck, but said she plans to rebuild her business.