Fire erupts at Bryant Park holiday market in Manhattan
NEW YORK -- A fire erupted at the Bryant Park holiday market in Manhattan and damaged several shops just before it opened Friday morning.
The fire at the New York City winter tourist attraction was accidentally caused by "cooking oil coming in contact with combustibles," FDNY said on X.
Further details from the investigation were not provided, but no injuries were reported and officials said earlier nothing suggested the fire was intentional.
"The booth just bursted into flames"
Cellphone video shows the terrifying moments the fire inside the Bryant Park Winter Village destroyed at least four shops.
People who were working in booths nearby said the flames took over within minutes.
"I hear, 'Fire! Fire!' and some people running down, and then I looked out and the booth just bursted into flames," said Delicia Paisley-Smith, with Tribal Home.
The fire spread to Criollas Empanadas next door.
"We're used to resilience. We opened during the pandemic," said owner Mario Vivas. "It's still the high season for us. Between Christmas and New Year's, we get a lot of tourists here."
It took dozens of firefighters about 30 minutes to get the fire under control.
Most Bryant Park Winter Village shops remained open
The nearby ice rink was also damaged in the fire, authorities said. But most shops were open all day Friday, while the tourist hot spots still attracted large crowds.
"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," a Bryant Park spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News New York.
In the meantime, traffic around Bryant Park was being disrupted due to the emergency response, primarily on West 40th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth.
This is the second fire at a Manhattan holiday market this month. Last week, a fire tore through booths at the Herald Square Holiday Market, leaving at least one firefighter injured.
FDNY does not believe the fires are connected.
