A fire that started in the Pete’s-a-Place pizzeria on Wednesday morning May 12 at 14th St. at Avenue A spread to several other neighboring stores. The fire began at around 10 a.m. and escalated to three alarms. It took firefighters an hour to bring the blaze under control. Also damaged in the fire were the Stuyvesant grocery, a hair salon and a tax-preparation office. Three firefighters received minor injuries battling the flames, but no other injuries were reported. According to the Fire Department, the blaze was sparked when an electrical welder repairing ductwork for a range hood inside the pizzeria ignited grease in the duct.
