A fire broke out on Friday morning at the Bryant Park Winter Village in New York City. Officials have stated that there were no injuries, but the fire affected several booths.
The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) says they received a call at 9:30 AM, right before the holiday market opened. It reported a fire that had spread to four kiosks and the roof of the ice-skating rink. The fire was under control at around 10 AM, and other shops continued to serve customers throughout the day. In response to the quick help, a Bryant Park spokesperson stated, “We are grateful for the FDNY’s quick response.”
The FDNY posted on X that the cause of the fire was “accidental, caused by cooking oil coming in contact with combustibles.” One visitor stated that he thought it “was kinda crazy that this all happened, and how fast it could happen.” Eyewitnesses to the event said the kiosk “suddenly went up in flames” and spread. Olga Kraniva-Tonn, a tourist who saw the video of the fire online, thought that the fire must have been AI due to its sheer size.
Although there were no fatalities or injuries, some peoples’ livelihoods have been affected by the fire. As reported by CBS New York, a man’s empanada stand had its wall destroyed by the fire. The owner says that “this is the high season for [them] we get most of our tourists between Christmas and New Year’s,” and he hopes he can quickly repair the wall.
The holiday market has recovered from the fire and is still receiving many visitors, and shopkeepers are working hard to recover from the fire in the festive season.