NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A massive fire broke out inside an East Village card shop Monday afternoon, just one day after a blaze at a Bronx apartment building left 17 people dead.
FDNY officials said the fire broke out just after 4:30 p.m. at the Essex Card Shop on the first floor of a 12-story building on Avenue A, between East Third and East Fourth streets.
Video on Citizen App showed smoke billowing into the sky from the storefront as firefighters worked to quell the flames.
FDNY officials confirmed that the blaze reached two-alarms before being brought under control around 5:40 p.m.
The scene of a 2-Alarm fire at an East Village card shop.Citizen App
According to East Village-based blog, EV Grieve, the fire completely destroyed the business. It appears there was some damage to apartments above the shop as well.
As per City Councilman Mark Levine, the building was evacuated while firefighters worked to bring the fire under control and the Red Cross is working to assist families who have been displaced.
Authorities said there were no injuries immediately reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The scene of a 2-Alarm fire at an East Village card shop.Citizen App
The blaze broke out just hours after a fire at a Bronx apartment building killed over a dozen people, including eight children, and left 13 critically injured.
FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said a preliminary investigation showed the fire was caused by a malfunctioning electric space heater at a duplex apartment that spans the second and third floors.
He added that the fire was able to spread so rapidly because people left stairwell doors open, and reminded people to always close doors behind them when escaping a building fire.
