Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre catches fire, upcoming "The Book of Mormon" performances canceled

Firefighters responded to Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theater on Monday morning after a fire broke out. 

It happened at around 10 a.m. and the blaze quickly grew to three alarms. 

The Department of Buildings has issued a full vacate order to the theater in the wake of the fire. 

There were no performances of "The Book of Mormon" scheduled at the theater Monday. ATG Entertainment and "The Book of Mormon" said in a statement performances during the early part of the week will be canceled.

"Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the cast and company of The Book of Mormon and our audiences, performances for The Book of Mormon will be cancelled on Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6. The show will continue to work with theatre owners, ATG Entertainment, the FDNY, and other relevant parties to assess the damage resulting from a fire at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre this morning. Ticket holders will be notified by point of purchase for exchanges or refunds."  

Fire "very difficult to get to," FDNY says

"The fire was in the electrical room, between floors four and five. Units entered the building, did a search and aggressively knocked down the fire," FDNY Assistant Chief David Simms said. "After the fire was knocked down, more fire was discovered in an area between floors five and the roof." 

Simms called it a "deep-seated fire" that "was very difficult to get to." 

One firefighter suffered a minor injury, Simms said.

"Everyone has been safely removed from the theater. We will keep all parties abreast of this developing situation," Ambassador Theater Group said in a statement.   

Simms said the building suffered "substantial damage" to the electrical room. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The emergency response disrupted the heavily trafficked area near 49th Street and Eighth Avenue. 

"Just loads of smoke out of the top"

Video from the scene shows firefighters climbing up their tower ladders onto the roof of the theater. 

Clouds of smoke were also visible emerging from the roof. 

"Just loads of smoke coming out of the top, and we were asked to come out of the hotel," tourist Matt Oakley said. "Hopefully, there's no one in there."

"I closed my window because the smoking came to my apartment," nearby resident Francesca Oliva said.

The venue first opened in 1925, and has operated under a handful of names until 1959, when it was named after the playwright Eugene O'Neill. 

The theater has been home to "The Book of Mormon" since 2011, when the show won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It marked its 15th anniversary earlier this year.