A fierce fire erupted at Bryant Park’s famous holiday market on Friday morning, sending thick plumes of black smoke billowing across the Manhattan skyline.
The fire began around 9:20 am, erupting in flames from a stall inside the market located on West 40th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, according to the FDNY and footage from the scene.
Firefighters were still battling the blaze roughly half an hour later, working to bring the flames under control as per the New York Post.
At present, there has been no report on any injuries or the cause of the fire.
Several small business owners were devasted as thier stands had been ruined.
Slivus Duspiva, whose booth, filled with handcrafted ornaments said, “I was crying”. Speaking to FOX 5, Duspiva explained that his family had put in more than $10,000 for rent, hoping the holiday sales would cover the cost.
The open-air market, located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues from 40th to 42nd Street, features a wide range of artisans from across the globe.
This incident follows another fire just a week-and-a-half ago that ravaged a section of Herald Square’s festive shopping area, situated on Broadway between West 35th and West 36th Streets. Eighteen shops, ranging from bratwurst stands to T-shirt vendors, were destroyed in that fire. An online fundraiser has since been set up to assist the affected vendors.
