SoHo fire sends dark plumes of smoke over Manhattan skyline
NEW YORK — Dark plumes of smoke filled the sky over SoHo in Lower Manhattan after a fire broke out on a rooftop Wednesday.
The flames and smoke could be spotted from blocks away.
Firefighters rushed to the 13-story building on Broome Street between Mercer and Broadway around 2:45 p.m. and found heavy fire condition upon arrival, fire officials said. About 100 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene, and drones were deployed.
Photos show dozens of firefighters with hoses on the roof of the building.
"Our members did an outstanding job quickly extinguishing the fire, preventing extension. This is a challenging fire in this type of structure. We also activated our drones, an essential part of allowing us to view roof tops from the street," FDNY Acting Deputy Chief Jarrod Garritano said.
According to fire officials, there was some type of wooden structure on the rooftop that caught fire.
There are no reports of any injuries.
Residents who spoke to CBS News New York described getting out of the building as soon as they realized something was wrong.
"We started hearing fire alarms, and then I saw a huge crowd on the street, so I open the window and look up, and that's when I see the flames up above my apartment," resident Nick Grabar said. "It's very hard to get a dog to go down the stairs when it's used to taking the elevator, so the elevator was full of dogs."
Crews had the fire under control just after 4 p.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.