A fire erupted at the popular Bryant Park holiday market in Midtown Manhattan on Friday morning, officials said, burning the booths of multiple businesses and emitting plumes of smoke that could be seen from miles away.
The Fire Department said it received a call about a fire on the south side of the park shortly before 9:30 a.m. and that the fire was under control by 10 a.m. There were no injuries, officials said, and the fire marshal is investigating the cause.
The Bryant Park holiday fair is one of New York’s largest seasonal markets. Around four million people visit the market, shopping at dozens of small kiosks that fill the park. There is also ice skating, curling and food vendors.
Officially called the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park, the market is scheduled to run through Jan. 5, operating from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends, according to its website.
Videos of the fire spread on social media on Friday morning. In one video, a man yells, “Get out!” and “Let’s go!” as a fire rises from what appears to be several kiosks. In another video, about five firefighters approach the flame.
The Herald Square holiday market, about six blocks south of Bryant Park, was also struck by a fire this month. Several holiday booths were destroyed and one firefighter was seriously injured in that fire.
Joseph Castellano, a battalion chief in the Fire Department, said on Friday that a fire was found in a structure that was longer — 6 feet by 40 feet — and that appeared to house four vendors, including some that served food. He said there was slight damage to an adjacent kiosk and to the roof of the nearby ice rink.
When asked about the fire in Herald Square and whether the markets were a concern, Chief Castellano said: “I don’t think they are a concern at all. I just think we had two fires.”
Michael Strauss, 65, said he was working at his office nearby when a co-worker sent him a video of the fire. By the time he made it outside, he said, the fire was already out and several kiosks were smoldering. He said he saw around 30 firefighters.
“I was happy to see that the damage was contained,” Mr. Strauss said, adding that it appeared that just four kiosks were affected.
Mr. Strauss said that tourists came from all over the world to visit the park, especially in the wintertime, and that it been transformed from a “not-so-safe park” in the 1980s to a “fabulous” place now.
“I think it’s a little alarming, particularly since there was just a fire in the Christmas villages in Herald Square last week,” he added. “So I wonder if it’s a coincidence. I don’t know how the fire started.”
Late Friday morning, one corner of the park was closed, but it was otherwise difficult to tell that there had been a fire.
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