In the midst of morning rush hour, firefighters battled a 2-alarm fire within a five-story building in Midtown Manhattan.
At 8:40 am, the FDNY received a report of a fire at 38 W 39th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue, just a few blocks away from revelers enjoying a sunny day in Bryant Park.
According to FDNY sources, the fire began in the rear of the second floor and spread to the third floor of a five-story building. The area was quickly cordoned-off as approximately 106 firefighters—about 26 units—worked for over two hours to extinguish the blaze.
The floor-to-ceiling windows of the building were completely shattered, while the walls remained a charred husk. Earlier this morning, tuffs of smoke plumed into the clear sky until the inferno was smothered by 11:14 am. The soot-covered first responders searched the building for civilians and structural damage.
Emergency Services were on the scene and three firefighters sustained minor injuries. They were taken to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell in the Upper East Side for further observation.
An investigation as to what caused the fire is still ongoing.
