By Albert Amateau
Firefighters responded to two fires in the East Village on Tuesday morning Jan. 4. Seven residents of the building at 69 Second Ave. sustained minor injuries in a fire that broke out around 3:50 a.m. in a ground-floor grocery in the six-story building, a Fire Department spokesperson said. A second alarm at 4:11 a.m. brought a total of 106 firefighters to the smoky fire, which was declared under control at 5:12 a.m. Six of the injured residents were treated at Beth Israel Hospital. One tenant on the fourth floor of the building said his 2-year-old dog awakened him by barking, enabling him to flee safely.
A two-alarm fire in a first-floor restaurant of a five-story building at 503 E. Sixth St. between Aves. A and B was reported at 7:31 a.m. and brought under control about an hour later, a department spokesperson said. One of the 106 firefighters who fought the blaze sustained minor injuries and was treated at Beth Israel Hospital.
The previous week, fire broke out in the fourth floor of a six-floor building at 187 Chrystie St. around 4:42 p.m. on Wed., Dec. 29. Firefighters brought the fire, attributed to a space heater, under control at 5:09 p.m. A firefighter sustained minor injuries. The Box, a club next door, was open for business later that night.
In addition, fire in Con Ed cables in front of 228 Bleecker St. near Downing St. caused an explosion around 10:25 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 1. There was no interruption of electrical service, a Con Ed spokesperson said. The fire’s cause was attributed to road salt corroding the cable.
