A late-day look at the fire-damaged 131 Avenue A

Photos by Steven

A fire broke out early this morning at 131 Avenue A on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place. 

According to ABC 7, five residents sustained minor injuries while vacating the six-floor building. 

Starbucks was open today for business in the retail spaces, while TabeTomo next door told us that they suffered “substantial damage.”

Next door, Bad Habit hope to be back open tomorrow...

As for the rest of the building, there is a Partial Vacate Order limited to two residences. 

Per the Department of Buildings: 

FIRE HAS CAUSED EXTENSIVE WATER, SMOKE AND FIRE DAMAGE IN APT#1, ALSO FIREFIGHTER OPERATIONS IN APT#7. WINDOWS AND WALLS HAVE BEEN REMOVED LEAVING STRUCTURES OPEN TO THE ELEMENTS. THESE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS HAVE THEREFORE RENDERED UNSAFE TO OCCUPY. VACATE APT #1 AND 7. EGRESS WAS NOT COMPROMISED. 

Firefighters recovered a lithium-ion battery from a unit, per ABC 7, though fire officials haven't stated that was officially the cause. Another resident mentioned talk of an "electric scooter explosion."

Report of an early morning fire at 131 Avenue A at St. Mark's Place

The FDNY responded to a report of a fire this morning on the second floor at 131 Avenue A, a six-floor building on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place. 

According to the Citizen app, the FDNY received the call at 5:15 a.m. Firefighters were seen wrapping up by 6:15 a.m.

There weren't any reports of injuries. [Updated: ABC 7 reported five residents suffered minor injuries.] Several building residents were gathered with small bags and backpacks, surveying the FDNY at work. Some of them reported leaving their apartments via the fire escapes. 

While it's too early to determine the cause of the fire, firefighters recovered a lithium-ion battery from the second floor, per ABC 7. 

The building is home to several businesses, including Starbucks and TabeTomo. It's not immediately known how much damage they may have sustained.

Report of a fire this afternoon at 91 E. 3rd St.

Photos by Felton Davis 

The FDNY responded to a report of a kitchen fire this afternoon around 2:30 at 91 E. Third St., just west of First Avenue...

Manhattan All Hands Box 0422, 91 E 3 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING A, APT 11-KITCHEN

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) September 13, 2023

The FDNY reported the small blaze under control in 10 minutes...

Manhattan All Hands Box 0422, 91 E 3 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING A, APT 11-KITCHEN, Under Control

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) September 13, 2023

Felton Davis, who lives on this block, said: "Congratulations to the FDNY for the speed with which they arrived and got this one under control... Many buildings, including ours, are over 100 years old, and it wouldn't take much for a fire to spread."

There isn't any word of the cause or extent of the damage. There weren't any reports of injuries.

Fire damages B-Side bar on Avenue B

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Updated July 3: There's now a GoFundMe for bar employees here.

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The FDNY responded to a report of a fire just before 1 p.m. today at 204 Avenue B between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

The department's Twitter account deemed the fire under control in 45 minutes.

Sabina Brunetti, the co-owner of B-Side, the bar in the building's retail space, said they had a new air conditioner installed. A worker was using a torch for welding, and the insulation went up in flames. B-Side was not open at the time.

The fire marshal deemed the blaze accidental. 

The four-story, three-unit building is now under a full vacate order. There weren't any injuries, thankfully, and all the tenants (plus a dog) got out safely. For now, the residents have a place to stay, but there isn't an estimate to how long repairs will take. The apartments were said to be badly damaged.

Meanwhile, the bar will also be out of commission for an unknown amount of time.

B-Side was closed at the start of the year for an extensive deep clean and renovations, including a new ceiling.

"We put so much blood sweat and tears into the space — it's really emotional. Our regulars are like family," a visibly upset Brunetti said. 

She was especially concerned for her staff, some of whom do not have other jobs. She also is worried about the tenants whose homes were damaged, including the landlord who lives right above the bar.

Despite the setback, she vowed to return.

"We absolutely plan to rebuild," Brunetti said. "Again and again."

Report of a fire in an abandoned curbside dining structure on St. Mark's Place

According to multiple residents this morning (after 8), a man allegedly set fire to the abandoned curbside dining structure outside 102 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

Firefighters immediately extinguished the blaze. It was not immediately known if the man had been living inside the structure ... his whereabouts were also not known after the fire...

Last Wednesday, the Department of Transportation issued a "Termination" notice for this dining structure outside Compilation Coffee, which closed one week after the streetery arrived last November.

Meanwhile, city officials are still debating the future of outdoor dining. Part of a proposed bill "would allow 'streeteries' — aka the dining sheds on the streets — to stay up from April through November each year," NBC New York reported on Friday. 

Reader-submitted photos

Reader report: Apartment fire at 182 Avenue B

The FDNY responded to a late-night (after 2 a.m.) fire at 182 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street. 

EVG reader Joe shared these photos from this morning, showing soot and broken glass on the sidewalk... and a burned-up office chair on the fire escape outside the third-floor apartment where the fire started...

Officials at the scene blamed a lithium battery from an e-bike. (And per the Citizen app: "Firefighters advise that a lithium battery was involved in the fire.") 

There weren't reports of any injuries... and no word on the extent — if any — of damage to the ground-floor tenant, Haile Bistro. 

CBS 2 reported last month that "lithium-ion battery fires are prompting more and more apartment buildings to pull the plug on e-bikes." 

As NY1 reported yesterday: "The FDNY says 66 fires have been started by lithium-ion batteries, killing five people. Last year, the city saw 216 fires and six deaths related to the batteries." 

This past week, two people died after a fire on West 190th Street sparked by a lithium battery.

Report of a fire at 136 Avenue C

Updated 9:57 a.m.: The FDNY issued an "under control" roughly 38 minutes after the first report.

Updated 3/1: A look at the storefronts here.

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The FDNY is currently on the scene of a two-alarm fire at 136 Avenue C, a 6-story building on the NE corner at Ninth Street...

Manhattan 2-Alarm Box 0450, 136 AVE C, MULTIPLE DWELLING A

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) February 27, 2023

A reader on the scene shared these photos from the east side of Avenue C between Eighth Street and Ninth Street ... we'll keep updating when more information is available...

@rodrodrod shared this aerial view...

A report of a small fire at Dua Kafe on 14th Street

Updated the location of the fire. And an update via Dua: "We should be opening up again very soon (the plan is tomorrow!) since the damage was relatively minimal outside of the bathroom space."

On Wednesday night around 10:30, there was a report of a fire in the bathroom at Dua Kafe, 520 E. 14th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Thanks to EVG reader Russell K. for the top photo.) 

The FDNY reported an "under control" from the scene in less than 15 minutes. (Dua has a posted closing time of 10 p.m.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by yesterday... fortunately there was little evidence of any fire, including smoke or water damage. 

Workers at a neighboring business said that there was a small electrical fire in the back and "everything should be fine again soon." 

In the meantime, there are there is a "closed for renovation" sign up at the restaurant specializing in Albanian cuisine (read a Times review of the space here) ...

A look at the fire-damaged 11-13 Avenue D

Here's a look at 11-13 Avenue D one week after a two-alarm fire caused smoke and water damage in the 6-floor residential building between Second Street and Third Street. 

Windows on several of the 16 residential units are boarded up. The city also issued a full vacate order on the premises...

Per the city: 

Due to extensive fire damage at 1st-floor restaurant along with fire, water and smoke damage throughout building... fire fighting operations to vent out entire building where all windows and doors have been removed along with removal of the skylight for venting. These hazardous conditions have therefore rendered the ENTIRE premises unsafe to occupy. 

The fire has also shut down the three retail establishments at the address: Joseph's Convenience Store, New Chinatown Restaurant and Royal Fried Chicken. 

Sources said the fire started in the New Chinatown Restaurant, which was not open at the time. An EVG reader and resident of the building left a comment on the post about the fire stating that no one was injured. 

The FDNY has not released an official cause of the fire.

Report of a fire at 313 E. 6th St.

The FDNY battled a two-alarm fire overnight on the top floor of 313 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Two people, a resident and a firefighter, reportedly (via Citizen), sustained minor injuries 

The FDNY first reported the fire at 2:03 a.m. ... with the "under control" coming nearly 90 minutes later...

Manhattan 2-Alarm Box 0437, 313 E 6 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING A

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) August 17, 2022

Manhattan 2-Alarm Box 0437, 313 E 6 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING A, COCKLOFT , Under Control

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) August 17, 2022

Neighbors reported seeing flames coming from the roof of No. 313 (reader photo below). The FDNY said the fire started in the cockloft.

No word on the cause of the fire. 

This morning, boards covered windows on the third and fourth floor of the circa-1900 building, which has three residential units.

Report of a fire at 11 St. Mark's Place

Top photo by William Klayer; others by Steven 

The FDNY responded to a report of a commercial fire around 5:30 p.m. at 11 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

Udon, Beard Papa, Land of Buddha and the Professional Threading Studio are the retail tenants here. It wasn't immediately clear where the source of the fire/smoke may be coming from.

The FDNY gave the "under control" at 6:16... citing "duct work" ...

Manhattan All Hands Box 0446, 11 ST MARKS PL, COMMERCIAL, DUCT WORK, Under Control

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) June 1, 2022

Despite the significant FDNY presence, witnesses on the street said they didn't smell any smoke... and hopefully, any fire/smoke may not have caused much damage...

Downtown Yarns hopes to reopen in a week

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Late Monday afternoon, Leti Ruiz stood on the east side of Avenue A below Third Street, anxiously watching the FDNY battle the two-alarm blaze that started inside Essex Card Shop across the street.

Downtown Yarns, housed in a sliver of a storefront, is next door to the south of the Card Shop, where thick smoke was billowing skyward. 

She thought that the fire would destroy the homey shop she's owned for three-plus years. 

Miraculously, Downtown Yarns — like Exit9, the Card Shop's neighbor to the north — escaped any significant damage. As previously noted, the stout cement ceiling and brick walls in the storefronts of the 13-floor Ageloff Towers served as a firebreak and prevented further damage to the building and adjacent businesses.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by yesterday as a rep from Servpro, which provides fire and water cleanup, finished his space assessment. Thankfully, there wasn't any harm caused by water.

He said that it would take about a week to thoroughly remove the smoke odor so Ruiz could reopen. Right now, Ruiz is using Febreeze, which she doesn't like, baking soda, and the industrial air scrubbers that the building has supplied.

Ruiz is grateful for the outpouring of support, including homemade signs of encouragement that students at the Neighborhood School around the corner placed on her storefront. 

In a further show of support, she noted that "so many people stopped by offering to buy the stinky yarn, but I don't want to sell smelly yarn to them."

You can follow Downtown Yarns on Instagram here for reopening information.

For further reading on EVG: 

• Exit9 reopens on Avenue A after fire next door

• Assessing the fire damage at Essex Card Shop

Assessing the fire damage at Essex Card Shop

Photos by Stacie Joy

A fire destroyed the Essex Card Shop at 47 Avenue A late Monday afternoon. Thankfully there weren't any injuries.

And we're starting to get an idea how badly the fire damaged the storefront here between Third Street and Fourth Street.

FDNY officials returned to inspect the space yesterday. EVG contributor Stacie Joy was also there...

Owner Muhammad Aslam and his oldest daughter Mehnaz Noreen, the shop's retail sales manager, were on hand.

The two are awaiting the fire marshal's report to submit to the insurance company to begin the process of reopening. (Longtime manager Jayant "Jay" Patel previously said that he smelled smoke coming from the bathroom in the rear of the store and immediately called the FDNY.) 

The father and daughter wished to express their gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community. (The GoFundMe launched Monday night has exceeded $50,000 to help the family pay for additional expenses and lost income.)

They were particularly heartened by the handmade signs that students from room 205 at the Neighborhood School left for them on the storefront's rolldown gate...

Aslam then inspected the remains of the shop, which opened here in June 2020 after more than 20 years at 39 Avenue A.

A few items, such as a ledger, somehow survived the fire...

And in case you were wondering about the ATM here... a technician arrived to remove the cash...

While Stacie was there, multiple residents stopped by to wish Aslam and his family well ... including the owners of the adjacent businesses, Leti Ruiz of Downtown Yarns and Charles Branstool of Exit9...

We'll keep you posted as Essex Card Shop starts the challenging reopening process. You'll likely see Aslam around. He told Stacie that he "doesn't wish to stay at home."

For further reading on EVG: 

 • Exit9 reopens on Avenue A after fire next door 

• Downtown Yarns hopes to reopen in a week