Fire-damaged Via Della Pace unsure about reopening on 7th Street; Cafe Mocha in bad shape

[Photos yesterday by Steven]

A day after the three-alarm fire tore through 48 E. Seventh St. at Second Avenue, residents and business owners faced the grim task of assessing the damage.

The owners of Via Della Pace on Seventh Street posted this message on Instagram about their very uncertain future:

We are deeply saddened that our restaurant, Via Della Pace, was involved in a fire yesterday. Everything was completely destroyed, and we were unable to salvage our precious items. We are holding onto the good memories of serving our wonderful clients and will always remember the fun times we shared over a good meal.

As of now, we are unsure whether we will continue with our restaurant business. We will keep you updated, and we are so thankful for your support and love.

The rustic Italian cafe opened in 2001.

Meanwhile, on the corner, Cafe Mocha, which opened in 2008, looks to be in bad shape with extensive water damage...









[Updated 5 p.m.] The restaurant, with a sidewalk cafe that draws a crowd in warm-weather months, posted this update to its website:

Due to a fire above Cafe Mocha we will be temporarily closed while we assess the severe damages. For our neighbors and customers, we appreciate your loyalty all these years. We remain hopeful that we will reopen to continue serving our friends and families.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Five firefighters were treated for minor injuries. None of the residents were said to be injured. One tenant of the building said on an EVG Facebook post that "all tenants and animals are safe and sound."

Early morning look at the fire-damaged SE corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street

Here's a 6 a.m.-look at the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street following the three-alarm fire that started here yesterday afternoon shortly before 4...



A lone police car is on the scene...



FDNY officials said that the fire started on "a lower floor" of the five-story building and spread up to the top floor before it was extinguished by about 140 firefighters, according to published reports. The cause is under investigation. Five firefighters were treated for minor injuries.

Here's more via the Post:

The owner of Cafe Mocha, the ground-floor restaurant, said he smelled the fire before the building went up in flames.

"I was in the restaurant and we smelled the fire coming from the bathroom. We smelled it, I think, coming through the shaft," owner Ghasan Ballan said.

"I feel bad for the residents, they have no home," he added.

No other word at the moment on the status of the two retail tenants here — Cafe Mocha and Via Della Pace ... or the displaced tenants of the building with 15 units.

One report said that the building suffered extensive interior damage.

Updated 8:30 a.m.

One tenant of the building left this comment on our Facebook post:

I am a tenant of the building. Live on the top floor. Thank you all for your concern. All tenants and animals (including my 2 cats) are safe and sound. Thankfully my family is blessed with much love and support from family, friends and neighbors. According to my super, building has much smoke and water damage. Will take about a year to restore the building.

Updating: FDNY battling 3-alarm fire on the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street

The FDNY is responding to a report of a multiple-dwelling fire on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street...





The first report came in at 4 p.m. ... the FDNY has since upgraded this to a three-alarm fire. The addresses are 48 Seventh St. and 116 Second Ave. The ground-floor retail tenants are Via Della Pace on Seventh Street and Café Mocha on the corner.

MAN 3-ALARM 48 E 7 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE IN THE WALLS AND COCKLOFT,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) February 10, 2020

No word of any injuries at the moment.

Updating

Here's a look via Steven just after 5 p.m. ...











And a video clip from a Citizen user...

Three-Alarm Fire Spread Through Ductwork @CitizenApp

48 E 7th St 3:49:00 PM EST

Updated 6 p.m.

The FDNY has yet to issue an all clear... you can see the extent of the damage to the corner building... (photos by Steven)...





Updated 6:40 p.m.





Updated 7 p.m.

The FDNY issued the under control at 6:43 ... no early word on the cause of the fire...

MAN 3-ALARM 48 E 7 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING HEAVY FIRE ON MULTIPLE FLRS, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) February 10, 2020

Updated 7:38 p.m.

Per PIX 11:

There was fire in the walls of all five floors..., officials said. The first floor is a restaurant and the floors above it are apartments.

Firefighters knocked out windows so they could reach the blaze inside. There were 140 firefighters at the scene.

Five firefighters reportedly received non-life-threatening injuries.

Reader report: Fire started by sun reflecting off mirror in window on 12th Street

The FDNY responded to a report of a fire yesterday afternoon on the fourth floor of 413 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue...

MAN ALL HANDS 413 E 12 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON THE 4TH FLR,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) November 2, 2019

A firefighter told EVG regular Lola Sáenz, who shared these photos, that a mirror in the window had reflected the sunlight and sparked a fire (it has been known to happen) ... two other readers collaborated this version of the cause via the FDNY.



... and a side view via EVG reader Bruce...



Here's a look at the building this morning. Three of the front-facing windows on the fourth floor have been boarded up... no word on the extent of the damage here...

Fire temporarily closes Gyu-Kaku on Cooper Square

A small fire inside Gyu-Kaku on Cooper Square Thursday evening has temporarily ko'd the restaurant.



The official FDNY Twitter feed puts the fire at just before 8 p.m. The FDNY had the fire under control in 20-plus minutes...

MAN ALL HANDS 34 COOPER SQ, COMMERCIAL FIRE ON FIRST FLR,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) September 5, 2019

MAN ALL HANDS 34 COOPER SQ, COMMERCIAL FIRE ON FIRST FLR, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) September 6, 2019

No word on where the fire started. The Citizen app mentioned the fire started on a table. (That information has not been verified.)



Gyu-Kaku is a chain of Japanese yakiniku restaurants specializing in barbecue that diners can prepare at their tables. As the sign on the door notes, their Midtown locations are open.

Post fire, Fat Buddha remains closed on Avenue A

[Photo from Friday]

On March 29, the FDNY responded to a report of a fire in an apartment on the third floor of 505 E. 13th St. at Avenue A.

While the FDNY had the fire under control in 30 minutes, there was extensive damage.

Fat Buddha, the bar that shares part of the building's retail space, remains closed (the fire was in an apartment two floors about Fat Buddha) ...



The bar posted this interior shot on Instagram...



EVG reader Barley also shared this "evidence" notice posted on the Avenue A gate...

Report of a fire at 505 E. 13th St.

An EVG reader shares the above photo... the FDNY is responding to a report of a fire at 505 E. 13th St. at Avenue A...

MAN ALL HANDS 505 E 13TH ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE APT G2/2ND FLR,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) March 29, 2019

One witness says "smoke is pouring out of the top floor apartment on the back right side of the building." The retail space on this corner is currently vacant (the former Percy's Tavern).


[Photo by Christine Champagne]

The @fdnyalerts account reports that the fire was under control in less than 30 minutes...

MAN ALL HANDS 505 E 13TH ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE APT G2/2ND FLR, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) March 29, 2019

No word on cause or extent of the damage just yet.

H/T dwg

Tree-mendous fire wipes out remains of the holiday season in 4th Street pile

Earlier this morning (roughly 12:30), EVG regular jdx was walking on Fourth Street between First Avenue and Avenue A when "a sudden conflagration erupted in a pile of discarded xmas trees that wound up scorching the van parked beside it."

He called 911 and emergency services were all over it in roughly two minutes. Cause of the blaze here alongside the Village View property is unknown.

All photos (and video!) here courtesy of jdx ...













... and video...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Christmas trees burn on East Third Street

Thanksgiving-weekend fire temporarily shutters Bruno Pizza on 13th Street

[Reader-submitted photo]

Early Friday morning, a fire broke out in the top-floor apartment at 204 E. 13th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

The extent of the damage to the four-story building isn't known... several of the north-facing windows are boarded up...



The restaurant on the ground-floor level, Bruno Pizza, will be closed for the foreseeable future.

"There is extensive water damage in the restaurant," owner Demian Repucci told me via email. "But the biggest thing is that ConEd shut off the electricity, gas and water to the whole building.

"We're trying to figure out the situation and what it will take to get back up and running."

Bruno Pizza opened in July 2015.

According to Streeteasy, the building, owned by Steve Croman, has three residential units. The top- floor apartment includes four bedrooms, and last rented for $6,750, per the Streeteasy listings.

A sign on the building's front door notes that tenants are not to enter... there isn't any official vacate order posted from the city just yet...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Report of a fire at 204 E. 13th St.

FDNY: Wiring blamed for last Saturday's fire on 9th Street

[Photo from this morning]

A quick follow-up to last Saturday's two-alarm fire at 218 E. Ninth St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

The FDNY called the fire accidental, citing building wiring...

Per #FDNY Fire Marshals: Cause of 4/21 2-alarm fire at 218 E 9 St. Manhattan was accidental, electrical, building wiring. Smoke alarm present and operational

— FDNY (@FDNY) April 23, 2018

A fire official said the building is now "unlivable." The address houses Yakiniku West, the Japanese steakhouse, and three apartments. Previous reports said that five adults and one child were displaced. No one was injured.

Here's more via The Villager:

Two families were said to occupy the upper floors but were not there when the Red Cross arrived, according to spokesperson Michael de Vulpillieres. The Villager spoke briefly to the owner of Yakiniku West on Sunday evening, shortly after he emerged from the building’s blackened first floor with several associates. Asked when his restaurant would open, he said, “in two months,” and abruptly walked away, declining to give his name.

Report of a fire on the Bowery and 2nd Street

Several EVG readers reported a large NYPD presence on the Bowery and Second Street (aka Joey Ramone Place) just after 7 a.m. ...

FDNYalerts MAN ALL HANDS 2 E 2 ST, MIXED OCCUPANCY FIRE ON THE 3RD FLR,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) March 23, 2018

Witnesses on the street level said that it didn't appear to be too serious...



Will update later if there are any further fire developments here...

H/T Lola Sāenz

Fired up to start a new year at La Plaza

The 9th Annual Zoroastrian Fire Jumping Event took place this evening at La Plaza Cultural on Ninth Street at Avenue C... EVG reader Cheyenne shared these photos...



Per tonight's invite:

Jumping over fire is a symbolic gesture to start a fresh new year. This tradition is celebrated for ringing in the Persian New Year and has been celebrated since at least 1700 BCE of the early Zoroastrian era.

... and by most accounts there was a nice turnout... (perhaps due to the new J/Z stop on the corner?)