Fire Erupts at NYC Christmas Market

A beloved Christmas market in New York City was marred by a large fire Friday morning, mere days after a fire destroyed more than a dozen shops in a different shopping corridor.

Bryant Park’s Winter Village brings an experience similar to the classic European Christmas market with an American touch. But on the third day of Christmas (Dec. 27), a stall at the festive holiday market blazed like twenty Yule logs. Fortunately, however, the fire was contained and did not create widespread damage, according to the fire chief and the New York Post.

“We found a fire in the kiosk behind me, approximately 6 feet by about 40 feet long,” explained FDNY Chief of Battalion 9 Joe Castellano in a statement to the press. “There was fire in there throughout.”

He tried to reassure New Yorkers that the fire looked to be more serious than it was in reality. “There was slight damage to the adjacent kiosk, and there was some heat impingement on the roof of the ice skating rink behind the kiosk on fire,” Castellano stated. “No real fire spread, just some flame impingement, and you see a little browning of the white roof structure.” It has been reported that no one was injured.

The Post provided further details:

The fire broke out around 9:20 a.m., causing heavy plumes of fire to erupt from the shed – home to four small food-related businesses – set up inside the park on West 40th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, according to the FDNY and video from the scene… Sources told The Post the inferno appeared to have started as a trash fire and then spread to the shed.

It is not known how or why the trash caught fire to begin with.

BREAKING: Bryant Park Christmas Market in NYC is on fire pic.twitter.com/WEWNx4LIUM
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The burned stall was called Seapark and offered seafood fries and lobster rolls, the Post stated. By 10 a.m., the firemen had the conflagration under control. It is a blessing the fire did not spread, though it’s a depressing situation for the individuals who operated the food stall. Parts of the market were apparently still open to the public today.

A Bryant Park spokesperson said, “We are grateful for the FDNY’s quick response to the incident that occurred earlier today. The Rink and The Lodge are currently open. Most of The Holiday Shops have reopened, and we expect all the Holiday Shops that were not affected by the fire to reopen later today.” Overall, the market was luckier than another shopping facility in NYC.

The blaze came about a week-and-a-half after another fire ignited a swath of Herald Square’s festive shopping corridor on Broadway between West 35th and West 36th Streets.
Eighteen shops – selling everything from bratwurst to glass ornaments to T-shirts – were destroyed in that blaze, according to an online fundraiser set up to support the vendors.

One firefighter was injured, according to the Post.

Castellano said no apparent connection existed between the two fires. Hopefully, New Year’s will not be marked by another conflagration in NYC