A look at the fire-damaged 328 E. 14th St.

Here's a look this morning at 328 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Early yesterday, the FDNY responded to a two-alarm fire that reportedly started inside Artichoke shortly after the pizzeria closed at 5 a.m.

Here's more via the Post:

The fire spread from the ground level to second- and third-floor apartments through walls in the six-story building, according to the FDNY.

A manager said he called 911 after a neighbor texted him a photo of the burning building.

Firefighters had the fire under control by 6:27 a.m. There were no injuries, and it is not clear how the fire started, officials said.

One fire source said the blaze did not appear to have been intentionally set.

The city posted vacate notices on Artichoke ... and the newish Alibaba Smoke Shop next door (which does not look to have sustained any damage)...



Artichoke has yet to comment on the fire, at least via their website or social media properties.

As you can see, most of the windows facing 14th Street have been boarded up. One 328 resident left this comment on yesterday's post: "Few of us have been displaced and need to find a new home because of the extensive damage to our apartments."



The 14th Street Y down the block opened its doors for residents ... and the Red Cross was on the scene to provide immediate assistance.

An update on this morning's East Sixth Street fire

[Photo from this morning via EV Grieve reader Laura]

The fire destroyed the 6th Street Kitchen this morning at 507 E. Sixth St. The owners tell Eater that "some items in the basement (the chef's toolbox) may be salvageable, but not much else. The cause was an electrical fire in the middle of the night, 'it seems to be accidental, a freak accident.'"

And from the comments:

I live in 507 - The fire appears to have originated in 6th Street Kitchen, and damage is definitely concentrated in the restaurant. Residents were woken by some explosions and the fire alarm, and escaped via the stairs, fire escapes, or the roof. Smoke damage and damage from fighting the fire is fairly extensive, but only the restaurant itself is destroyed. THANK YOU to the firemen and women who responded so quickly and saved this situation from becoming much worse. We are all very grateful.

Meanwhile, DNAinfo reports that firefighters had to return to the scene after marshals discovered a few remaining embers.

The Local East Village also has an extensive report here.

[Updated] Report of a fire on 9th Street

FDNYalerts MAN ALL HANDS 218 E 9 ST, MIXED OCCUPANCY FIRE ON THE 2ND FLR,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) April 21, 2018

The FDNY is on the scene at 218 E. Ninth St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... it's the building directly to the west of the parking garage.

Witnesses at the scene report hearing an explosion...

| @evgrieve Explosion on 9th Street. pic.twitter.com/7StJbgAidr

— Liberation Iannillo (@thevulgarera) April 21, 2018

Will update when more details are available...

UPDATED:

NOTORIOUS shared this a little before 4 p.m.:

Around 3:30 pm there was a loud explosion outside that sounded like a violent car crash. The FDNY arrived almost instantly and shut down the street. The fire appears to be in 218 East 9th, the building with Yakiniku West. It's been 25 minutes since the fire started and it's still going strong. More FDNY are pulling up now.

Steven took these photos of the FDNY's response...









EVG reader jba shared these photos showing some of the damage to No. 218...





... and another view via Aaron Wilson...



CBS 2's Reena Roy has a report...

Yakiniku West restaurant on the first floor and three apartments above were damaged, officials said. Five adults and one child were displaced.

“They were confronted with a heavy smoke condition upon arrival on the first floor,” one fire official told CBS2’s Reena Roy. “We had 25 units operating here with 106 firefighters. There was a lot of overhauling, a lot of walls and ceilings were taken down, too. There’s a lot of damage right now.”

The fire reportedly started behind a refrigerator on the second floor and quickly spread. There weren't any reports of injuries.

#FDNY members are on scene of a 2-alarm fire, 218 E 9 St. Manhattan. Currently no injuries have been reported. pic.twitter.com/1F42rUnHNz

— FDNY (@FDNY) April 21, 2018

Statement from City Councilmember Carlina Rivera on this morning's fire on 2nd Avenue

Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera released this statement about this morning's fire on Seventh Street and Second Avenue ... which provides more details on damage to surrounding buildings:

Today, the East Village community is devastated and heartbroken at learning of the six-alarm fire that damaged or destroyed at least three buildings along 2nd Avenue between East 7th and East 6th Streets. 

Two of the buildings — Middle Collegiate Church, which appears to have been devastated, and the Women's Prison Association (WPA)'s Hopper House, which received smoke damage and other possible effects — are pillars of our community. We do not know the cause of the fire, which remains under active investigation. 

We hold the firefighters who were injured in the blaze in our thoughts, and I want to thank all the first responders who risked their lives to extinguish this fire. While I am thankful that no deaths have been reported, my heart is so very broken for the victims of this tragedy, who have been generational leaders in our community for social justice and equality.

My office is working closely with the FDNY, OEM, NYPD, DOB, and all other relevant agencies as they continue to assess the damage to 47 E. 7th St. (which was vacated earlier this year), Middle Collegiate Church, and the Hopper House. I promise that we will ensure this incident is investigated thoroughly.

We are also working to ensure that the 22 women who were residing at the Hopper House, and had to evacuate to WPA’s nearby family shelter, are provided with stable housing options and support. Donations to Middle Collegiate Church and WPA can be made at www.middlechurch.org/donate and www.wpaonline.org/donate, respectively.  

Middle Collegiate Church is one of the great, landmark institutions of our community, having served the New York City for almost 400 years and for over a century providing the East Village with spiritual and physical resources. They've taken care of so many during our City's darkest moments, from 9/11, to Superstorm Sandy, to the 2nd Avenue Explosion. 

And the Women’s Prison Association has provided housing, employment, and assistance for justice involved women for generations. The damage this fire has caused goes far beyond the structural effects alone.

But we know that our East Village community is strong and we will be there beside them every step of this recovery, however we can. As we begin this difficult work, I am inspired by the words of Middle Collegiate Church's Rev. Jacqui Lewis — someone who I’ve considered a close friend and adviser for many years — when she said this morning that "no fire can stop Revolutionary Love." I will take that spirit into my heart in the coming days and weeks as we continue our response and recovery.

Photo credit: FDNY Response Videos

Report of a fire this morning at 100 E. 7th St.

MAN ALL HANDS 100 E 7TH ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 2ND FLR,

— FDNY (@FDNY) January 31, 2016

Several readers have told us about an early-morning fire at 100 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. The official FDNY Twitter account announced the fire at 7:17 a.m., and gave the "under control" at 7:30 a.m.

MAN ALL HANDS 100 E 7TH ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 2ND FLR, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNY (@FDNY) January 31, 2016

Unfortunately, we don't have any further information about the cause of the fire, which started in a second-floor apartment. A reader at the scene said that there didn't appear to be any injuries.

You can see the fire-damaged unit in the photo from later this morning...


[Photo by Derek Berg]

H/T Bill the Libertarian Anarchist

Street and sidewalk barriers removed from outside the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church on 2nd Avenue

An item from the past week that we didn't get to mention... the construction fencing and temporary sidewalk structure have been removed from Second Avenue between Seventh Street and Sixth Street.

Workers have also wrapped up the weather-proofing at the remains of the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church at 112 Second Ave. ...

The church marked the first anniversary of the fire on Dec. 5.

The fire spared the steeple and its historic contents — the New York Liberty Bell, which dates to the early 1700s. The bell is for now housed at the New York Historical Society. 

The FDNY previously said that faulty wiring at 48 E. Seventh St. was to blame for the fire. An FDNY spokesperson told 1010 WINS that the fire had been deemed "non-suspicious." No. 48 was demolished. (More background here.) 

Middle Collegiate Church currently holds services at the Calvary Episcopal Church at 21st Street and Park Avenue South. You can read about their plans to rebuild the sanctuary right here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church, it's moving day for the historic New York Liberty Bell

Demoliton of the fire-damaged Middle Church façade starts on Monday

Photo Tuesday by Steven 

On Monday, workers will begin to remove the remains of Middle Collegiate Church's fire-damaged façade at 112 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

Earlier this month, Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister at Middle Collegiate Church, told us this is expected to be a two-to-three-month job. Lewis also explained that it's a combination demolition-salvage operation. Workers will sift through the remains of the building, initially completed in 1892, to save any of the limestone and ironwork for use in the new sanctuary that will eventually rise on the property.

As previously reported, church leaders said they must remove what remains on the property within the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. According to a report commissioned by the church, the culmination of an 18-month review, there was too much damage to the existing structure to integrate it into Middle Collegiate's new home, that it wouldn't withstand a full-scale rebuild on the property. 

On 3:30 Monday afternoon, church leaders and members of the Middle community "will gather to mourn the sanctuary it called home."

From an announcement about the start of the demoliton:

While this is a moment of communal grief, it will also clear the way for Middle to build a new sanctuary as the community continues to rise. The gathering will embody an ethos that has always defined New York: Resiliency that rebuilds from tragedy by reshaping the neighborhood in ways that honor the past but chart a bold new future. 

The church structure was destroyed during a six-alarm fire early morning on Dec. 5, 2020. The fire reportedly started inside 48 E. Seventh St., the five-story residential building that once stood on this corner. FDNY officials blamed faulty wiring at the under-renovation No. 48 and said the fire had been deemed "non-suspicious." 

By December 2024, officials hope to create a new worshiping space for up to 225 people in a two-story structure adjacent to the church and their property at 50 E. Seventh St.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Workers prepping to remove the remains of the fire-damaged façade at Middle Collegiate Church

• The remaining structure of the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church will be demolished

Report: 7th Street resident dies in early-morning apartment fire

FDNYalerts MAN ALL HANDS 244 E 7 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON FIRST FLR,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) March 18, 2018

An early-morning fire at 244 E. Seventh St. between Avenue C and Avenue D reportedly left one man dead and three other people injured.

According to the Daily News, the fire started on the first floor of the six-story walk up around 6:10 a.m.

Per the News:

The fire was confined to the rear apartment, where the victim was found dead in a cluttered rear bedroom...

Fire Marshals are investigating the cause of the deadly blaze.

Updated 12:25 p.m.

amNew York reports that the victim was 71 years old.

Updated 3/19

NY1 reported that the victim was Barry Allen. There wasn't a smoke alarm in the apartment where the fire started, and the alarm in the hallway was not working, the FDNY said.

After the fire: Getting Caracas Arepa Bar back in business 'may take some time'

[Photo by EVG reader Joaquin]

As we first reported yesterday morning, a fire broke out at Caracas Arepa Bar, 93 E. Seventh St. just east of First Avenue.

No one was injured during the fire. (The FDNY has yet to determine the cause.)

EVG readers who saw the scorched space yesterday said that it looks in bad shape.



Here's a description of the damage from co-owner Maribel Araujovia via Grub Street:

While the street-facing front of Caracas was spared, half of the restaurant — including the kitchen, bathroom, refrigeration, part of the office, and the back half of the basement — essentially “burned down,” Araujo says. Walls are ruined, the basement was flooded with a foot and a half of water, and there is currently no electricity or gas.

Arujo was more blunt with Gothamist: "The restaurant is pretty fucked up."

The damage was contained to the restaurant.

As several EVG commenters noted, the FDNY was on the scene about 2:30 a.m. after residents reported smoke.

Per Gothamist:

Tenants on the second floor, who live directly above the restaurant, smelled smoke early this morning and the fire department was dispatched to the address around 2:30 a.m. The FDNY performed some kind of investigation but didn't find anything at the time, neighbors tell Araujo. The fire department was called again at 7:25 a.m. when the same neighbors awoke to find their apartment filled with more smoke.

While dealing with the temporary loss of her business, Araujo also has questions as to why the fire wasn't discovered earlier, which could have prevented things from getting quite so bad.

For now, the smaller Caracas space is open next door for counter service and to-go orders ... here are the signs that greet customers...





There's isn't any timeline on the restaurant's return. It likely won't be anytime soon, though.

To Grub Street:

“It’s not just a little thing we can fix quickly, put drywall up, and keep going,” Araujo says. Getting back to business will take some time: Leases and inventory need to be looked at, and conversations need to be had with lawyers and insurers. “Maybe we’ll relocate, maybe we’ll try to rebuild this one. At this point, I’m not sure.”

There's also a location in Williamsburg. The Venezuelan restaurant has been open on Seventh Street since 2003.

And here's their message to patrons ...

Just wanted to let everyone know that YES, it is true that Caracas Dining Room / East Village had a big fire this early morning. No one got hurt. This location is temporarily closed but the Original Caracas (takeout next door) is OPEN and we need your support. We are assessing the situation and the future of this location is to be determined. We want to THANK everyone that has been reaching out and looking after us and to the #eastvillage community for been so great and concerned. Thank YOU Thank YOU ❤️

A photo posted by caracasarepabar (@caracasarepabar) on Sep 21, 2016 at 3:57pm PDT

Report of a 5-alarm fire at 163 Bleecker St.

Several EVG readers have asked about the strong smell of smoke in the neighborhood early this morning ... wondering if there was a fire in the East Village. 

The fire was further to the west. The @FDNYalerts Twitter account first reported the fire at 12:36 a.m. at 163 Bleecker St. between Sullivan and Thompson. 

It eventually became a 5-alarm fire, which the FDNY declared under control at 5:33 a.m.

Manhattan 5-Alarm Box 0358, 163 BLEECKER ST, Other Commercial Building Fire, FLR 1, Under Control

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) May 22, 2021

Photos via the Citizen app show extensive damage to the retail tenant there — Uncle Ted's Modern Chinese Cuisine.

The Citizen app also reported that a firefighter sustained minor injuries.

A fire on April 19 on the corner of Bleecker and LaGuardia Place reportedly destroyed the storefront belonging to GMT Tavern.

Marking the 1-year anniversary of the fire that destroyed Middle Collegiate Church

Photo from June by Stacie Joy 

On Dec. 5, 2020, a six-alarm fire destroyed the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street, including the sanctuary of the neighboring Middle Collegiate Church. 

Middle Collegiate will mark the first anniversary with a pilgrimage to the site on Sunday. 

Here are more details via church officials: 

The congregation will be making a pilgrimage from our temporary home at Calvary Episcopal Church at 21st Street and Park Avenue South to the ruins of our sanctuary on the one-year anniversary of the fire. We'll be starting the walk at 11:45 a.m. uptown, and should get to Middle Collegiate around 12:15. 

People are welcome to join us for that but for an easier way to show support, we're just inviting folks at any point during that day to stop by and leave an offering by the construction fence — a flower, a candle, an old photo of the building, whatever they’d like. 

We thought it would be beautiful if congregants saw other people's offerings when they arrived, and if we continued to collect expressions of love throughout the day.

The fire spared the steeple and its historic contents — the New York Liberty Bell, which dates to the early 1700s. The bell is for now housed at the New York Historical Society. 

The FDNY previously said that faulty wiring at 48 E. Seventh St. was to blame for the fire. An FDNY spokesperson told 1010 WINS that the fire had been deemed "non-suspicious." No. 48 was demolished. (More background here.) 

Middle Collegiate Church is currently raising funds to help rebuild the sanctuary (link here).

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church, it's moving day for the historic New York Liberty Bell

Demolition underway on the fire-damaged Middle Church façade

The top 3 photos by Jacob Ford; the rest via Derek Berg 

Workers today began to remove the remains of Middle Collegiate Church's fire-damaged façade at 112 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street... the first day of what is expected to be a two-to-three-month job...

This afternoon, around 3:30, church leaders and members of the Middle community gathered to mourn the sanctuary that they called home.

"This is a really important day," said the Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis (above and below in the red hat), the church's senior minister. "The beginning of something new but the end of something old."

As previously reported, church leaders said they must remove what remains on the property within the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. According to a report commissioned by the church, the culmination of an 18-month review, there was too much damage to the existing structure to integrate it into Middle Collegiate's new home, that it wouldn't withstand a full-scale rebuild on the property. 

The church structure was destroyed during a six-alarm fire early morning on Dec. 5, 2020. The fire reportedly started inside 48 E. Seventh St., the five-story residential building that once stood on this corner. FDNY officials blamed faulty wiring at the under-renovation No. 48 and said the fire had been deemed "non-suspicious." 

By December 2024, officials hope to create a new worshiping space for up to 225 people in a two-story structure adjacent to the church and their property at 50 E. Seventh St.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Workers prepping to remove the remains of the fire-damaged façade at Middle Collegiate Church

• The remaining structure of the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church will be demolished

Workers prepping to remove the remains of the fire-damaged façade at Middle Collegiate Church

Photos by Stacie Joy

In the days ahead, workers will begin to remove the remains of Middle Collegiate Church's fire-damaged façade at 112 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

On Tuesday, workers erected a sidewalk bridge on Seventh Street... along the north side of the church structure that was destroyed during a six-alarm fire early morning on Dec. 5, 2020.

The fire reportedly started inside 48 E. Seventh St., the five-story residential building that once stood on this corner. FDNY officials blamed faulty wiring at the under-renovation building and said the fire had been deemed "non-suspicious." 

In a phone interview with EVG on Wednesday, Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister at Middle Collegiate Church, offered a timeline for the work ahead after an arduous approval process among multiple city agencies over the last year.

"Now everything is, 'on your mark, get set, go,'" said Lewis, who noted they want to get the work underway before any disruptive winter weather starts.

There are two permits awaiting approval, and then workers will start — likely in the next week for what is expected to be a two-to-three-month job. Lewis also explained that it's a combination demolition-salvage operation. Workers will sift through the remains of the building, initially completed in 1892, to save any of the limestone and ironwork for use in the new sanctuary that will eventually rise on the property.

In January, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) signed off on a certificate of appropriateness for the demolition. So why the 11-month wait?

"Then we had negotiations with [the LPC] about what we wanted and what they wanted, which was, 'How much could we preserve? How much could we leave up safely? How would we take down what we take down safely?' That has been a several-month process," Lewis said. "We went back and forth with different plans, with our engineers, their engineers, our architect and their evaluators."

Then came the paperwork with the Department of Buildings and the Department of Transportation (workers will need to use a lane of Second Avenue during the demolition phase). They also needed to negotiate a controlled access zone agreement with neighbors on either side of the church.

As previously reported, church leaders had said they must remove what remains on the property within the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. According to a report commissioned by the church, the culmination of an 18-month review, there was too much damage to the existing structure to integrate it into Middle Collegiate's new home, that it wouldn't withstand a full-scale rebuild on the property. 

Lewis previously told us they spent $4 million to reinforce, stabilize and weatherproof the façade. (Preservation groups, including Village Preservation, had urged the LPC not to grant permission for demolition until further studies could occur.)

"Every time I walk by that façade, that vacant lot ... and there's just rubble — it takes me right back to the fire. The façade is a symbol of resilience — it survived! But it really didn't survive, which is why we made the case to take it down," Lewis said.

The demolition and salvage operation is just one of the projects underway. The church also owns 50 E. Seventh St., just east of Second Avenue, which is currently vacated after suffering collateral damage during the fire. 

A two-story structure with a glass dome behind No. 50 connects the building to Middle Collegiate's former sanctuary. Lewis said they have plans to create a new worshiping space for up to 225 people in the two-story structure (which they called their social hall). No. 50 will house different church social programs as well as space for the community to use for meetings or other purposes.

Lewis said they hope to have this ready by December 2024.

A lot is happening now with the church, which has been holding services from their temporary home — East End Temple, 245 E. 17th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

"My first job is being a pastor. My second job is raising money, and my third is raising a building," Lewis said. "It has been really hard. But we've had so much love from the community and love from the city. We're still here!" 

Former tenants of the fire-destroyed 48 E. 7th St. want to hear from landlord Faith Popcorn

The longtime tenants of 48 E. Seventh St., destroyed in a six-alarm fire last December, are "seeking basic decency" from the building's landlord, acclaimed futurist Faith Popcorn. 

During a rally in late July across from the former building on the southeast corner of Seventh Street and Second Avenue, the residents, as well as local elected officials and housing advocates, said that they haven't received any answers from Popcorn (aka Faith Plotkin) on finding new low-income housing in the neighborhood.

"This building was our home. Three generations of our family grew up at 48 E. Seventh St. and have helped build this community," said Cathy Barna. "Now we are really struggling to find affordable housing in this neighborhood." 

The misery for the tenants started in February 2020 when a fire displaced the building's residents. No. 48, which included retail tenants Via Della Pace and Cafe Mocha and eight apartments, was under renovation this past fall and was vacant at the time of the December fire, which also destroyed the Middle Collegiate Church next door.  

Before the December fire, the displaced tenants were hoping to be back in the building this fall, according to the Cooper Square Committee, which organized the late-July rally with TakeRoot Justice.

There were approved work permits dated from last Oct. 29 on file with the DOB. According to the permits: "Repairs due to fire; interior non-structural demolition, removal of damaged floor and roof framing, replace damaged floor and wall joists, reconstruct floor and roof joists, reconstruct roof joists, reconstruct roof bulkhead, repair interior stairs ... install new windows, installation of new roof." 

The FDNY previously said that faulty electrical wiring was to blame for both fires. Workers demolished the building on Dec. 7. 

Now, 17 months out of their homes, the tenants said they want to "open lines of communication and to move forward stalled negotiations." 

The Cooper Square Committee stated that many of the tenants are senior citizens who had lived in the building for 60 or more years. Other tenants raised their families here, and all of them have deep roots in the community. (There were four rent-regulated units left in the building — three rent-controlled and one rent-stabilized). Tenants — or their family members — from three of the units spoke at the rally.)

"On top of COVID and dealing with personal health issues, the last thing we thought is that we would lose our home of 60 years," said resident Oksana Lopatynsky.

"All my friends are here in NYC," said Donna Czechowycz. "I'm living in an area where I don't know anyone. It's difficult for someone in their 80s to start over again." 

Elected officials also called on the landlord to provide answers to the tenants.

TY to @CooperSq for welcoming me to rally today with the displaced tenants of 48 E 7th Street in demanding accountability from their landlord.

We need Albany to pass stronger housing rights legislation for all NYers. I'll stand with tenants - my neighbors - until it's done. pic.twitter.com/jLagri1wuA

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) July 28, 2021

Said Rivera: "I stand with Cooper Square Committee and the tenants of 48 E. Seventh St. to say enough is enough, and that their landlord Faith Plotkin must stop hiding and come to the table with real answers about the future of their homes. These tenants have been struggling for over a year ... They've been waiting, amidst COVID-19, in flux ... and even basic questions about the building itself remain unanswered. They don't deserve this, and we won't rest until they receive the housing justice they deserve."

Popcorn, whose Facebook page lists that she was born in the East Village, reportedly owns several other buildings in the neighborhood. 

According to public records, No. 48 has been in the Plotkin family for generations. Her sister, the late Mechele Flaum, was also an owner. The first entry for the building in property records is from 1969, where Plotkin's parents — the former Clara Storper and George Plotkin — took over the building from Rose Storper.

Popcorn is a futurist, author and founder and CEO of the consulting firm BrainReserve. Popcorn's office did not respond to an EVG query for comment. She also did not respond to calls from amNY and The Village Sun, who also reported on the rally and displaced tenants. 

"In the darkest days of the pandemic, these community members were also dealing with the destruction of their homes by fire. They had to live through the trauma of not one but two fires," Brandon Kielbasa, director of organizing and policy at Cooper Square Committee, said in a statement. "Now, as these folks attempt to regain a footing, communication from their landlord has become inconsistent and negotiations have stalled."

Photos courtesy of the Cooper Square Committee

EVG Etc.: 2nd Avenue fire headlines

The early morning fire on Saturday that destroyed the vacant 48 E. Seventh St. and neighboring Middle Collegiate Church at 112 Second Ave. made international headlines (BBC here, for instance).

Workers have started demolishing No. 48 (one source at the scene said they'd remove what's left of the 5-story building, bringing it down to two levels so FDNY officials could continue their investigation to the cause of the fire). 

Meanwhile, officials were examining the historic church's façade to see what might be salvageable.

Happening now! Assessment of the @middlechurch facade structure and possibility of saving it. @evgrieve pic.twitter.com/hmJe5FlW9n

— Gili Getz 🔥 (@giligetz) December 6, 2020

Hopefully we will learn more about the fate of the structure in the hours/days ahead.

Meanwhile, the Times provided a thorough piece on the history of Middle Collegiate Church, which was built here in 1892. A fact that surprised some people: The church houses the New York Liberty Bell, which dates to 1725. No word on the fate of the bell. 

A few other select headlines:

• NPR has an interview with Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister at Middle Church.

• CBS 2 covers the church's virtual service yesterday. (Middle Church has not had an in-person service since before the pandemic.)

• Gothamist provides an update on the Hopper House, the shelter operated by the Women's Prison Association at 110 Second Ave. that had to be evacuated. (Find our post on this here.)

There will be multiple storylines continuing to emerge from this tragic fire. We'll continue to provide updates on the latest developments. 

Thank you to everyone who has shared photos from the scene. And as many people have said, the fire brought back awful memories from the deadly explosion that leveled 119-123 Second Ave. in March 2015.

For some people watching the fire on the SE corner of 2nd Avenue & 7th Street this morning, there were unpleasant flashbacks to March 26, 2015, when the gas explosion wiped out the NW corner. 2 men died there that day.

[Photos by @NYPDSpecialops & Jonathan Jones] pic.twitter.com/16TujGbp6R

— evgrieve (@evgrieve) December 5, 2020

Update on last night's fire at Mono + Mono

As reported earlier, a two-alarm fire swept through 116 E. Fourth St. early this morning... the single-level commercial building houses Mono + Mono.

The restaurant just updated its Facebook page:

Our big thanks to @FDNY. The fire that broke out last night at @MonoMonoNYC was quickly put out and everyone is safe. There was some water damage, so we'll be closed for a few days to make repairs. We'll be back stronger than ever! Stay tuned.

Updated 7 p.m.

DNAinfo has more on the fire...

• Fire not considered suspicious, per authorities

• Most of the restaurant's extensive collective of jazz LPs were thought to be OK

• "The heat from the blaze was so intense that it knocked out windows to the Hells Angels' East 3rd Street headquarters, which sits directly behind the restaurant.

The biker gang was having a loud barbecue in their backyard when the fire broke out, according to neighbors."

The FDNY honors fire marshal Christopher T. Zanetis in plaque ceremony on 2nd Street

[Photo by Stacie Joy]

Today the FDNY and city honored Christopher "Tripp" Zanetis with a plaque dedication ceremony at Engine Company 28, Ladder 11 on Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.


[Photo by Stacie Joy]

Zanetis was a fire marshal and U.S. Air Force Major who was killed in a helicopter crash in Western Iraq one year ago today. He was 37. Zanetis was on leave from the department, where he had been a marshal in the Bureau of Fire Investigation.

After graduating from NYU, he was appointed as a firefighter in 2004, and was assigned to the station house on Second Street. He was promoted to fire marshal in 2013.

The way he lived his life will continue to inspire us all -#FDNY Chief of Department John Sudnik remembers FDNY Fire Marshal and @USAirForce Captain Christopher “Tripp” Zanetis pic.twitter.com/Q8Q2sYtXkA

— FDNY (@FDNY) March 15, 2019

[Via the FDNY]

H/T Salim!

Previously on EV Grieve:
The FDNY remembers fire marshal Christopher T. Zanetis on 2nd Street

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.

Shoring up the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church on 2nd Avenue

Workers last week erected scaffolding inside the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church on Second Avenue and Seventh Street.

A church rep told us that they are "finishing stabilizing the remaining façade, weatherproofing bricks that were never exposed to the elements before — that kind of thing." They are hoping to have this work done before the end of the year.

Last Dec. 5, a fire destroyed the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street, including Middle Collegiate Church. The fire spared the steeple and its historic contents — the New York Liberty Bell, which dates to the early 1700s. The bell is for now housed at the New York Historical Society. 

The FDNY previously said that faulty wiring at 48 E. Seventh St. was to blame for the six-alarm fire. An FDNY spokesperson told 1010 WINS that the fire had been deemed "non-suspicious." No. 48 was demolished. (More background here.) 

Middle Collegiate Church is currently raising funds to help rebuild the sanctuary (link here).

In an outdoor service in early October, Middle Collegiate welcomed back churchgoers for the first time in 10 months.