Fire burns through booth at Bryant Park holiday market Winter Village in NYC: Watch video
A fire broke out in Manhattan’s famed Bryant Park holiday market Winter Village Friday morning, according to New York City Fire Department officials.
At around 9:23 a.m. local time, firefighters received reports of a fire at Bryant Park, Joe Castellano, an FDNY battalion chief, told reporters at the scene, located in midtown Manhattan, just blocks from Times Square. Firefighters found the fire throughout a building that was about 40 feet long with four vendor booths inside.
By about 10 a.m., FDNY considered the fire under control. There were no injuries at this time, Castellano said. There was slight damage to an adjacent kiosk, and the ice skating rink’s roof had some flame impingement.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the city Fire Marshal. Inside the four booths, some appeared to cook food, Castellano said.
A video taken at the market during the incident shows the blaze quickly spreading through the booth as people evacuate from the area.
Watch blaze at Bryant Park Holiday Market
Holiday market at Bryant Park is an annual event
Each winter, Bryant Park hosts a large holiday market in the 9.6-acre space, with several vendors, an ice skating rink, a food hall, and igloos.
In a statement, the Bryant Park Corporation, the nonprofit that manages the park, said most holiday shops reopened Friday.
All holiday shops that weren’t affected by the fire are expected to reopen later in the day as well as the market ice skating rink and lodge, the nonprofit’s statement said.
Just over a week ago, another holiday market in Manhattan’s Herald Square, about five blocks south of Bryant Park, had an electrical fire destroy several vendors' booths.
In addition to events at the space, Bryant Park also houses the main branch of the New York Public Library.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.