Another fire occurred at a Manhattan holiday market this month, this time at Bryant Park, following a similar incident at the Herald Square market last week. Flames broke out on Friday morning, damaging several booths at Bryant Park. According to the FDNY, one tent, which housed four businesses, was completely destroyed by the fire, which started in one booth and spread to others.
As reported by FOX 5 NY, video footage captured large flames at the holiday market, prompting a swift response by firefighters. Despite the destruction, no injuries were reported at Bryant Park. One vendor, Slivus Duspiva, told FOX 5 NY, "I was crying," having lost his booth filled with handcrafted ornaments and facing financial fallout from the calamity. Duspiva's family had invested more than $10,000 in rent in hopes of recouping the cost through holiday sales, only to have their expectations reduced to ashes and debris.
Conversely, the Herald Square fire proved to be even more dangerous, as one firefighter sustained serious albeit non-life-threatening injuries. Small business owners were left devastated as at least four vendor booths were consumed by the conflagration. Locking down the area became necessary due to the volume of the emergency response, mainly disrupting traffic along West 40th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth.
The cause of the Bryant Park fire remains under investigation by FDNY. A Bryant Park spokesperson expressed their gratitude for the FDNY's quick response, sharing with CBS News New York, "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."
