Chelsea Market Fire Forces Evacuation

CHELSEA, NY — A fire in Manhattan's popular Chelsea Market Tuesday forced hundreds to be evacuated and belched thick plumes of smoke that could be seen blocks away.

But, as occupants of the fifth and sixth floors of the building at 425 W. 15th St. were sent out into the street, others got a front row view of the action as the bustling restaurants and shops were allowed to stay open.

An FDNY spokesman said the blaze, which started at 12:09 p.m., was under control by 12:54 p.m. with one minor injury reported. He said it broke out on the roof of the building at 12:09 p.m.

The fire department's Twitter feed reported that it was started in a generator.

Among those evacuated were the staff of news channel New York 1, which has offices in the buiding.

NYC Council member Corey Johnson, who represents Chelsea, said on Twitter that the building was fully reopened at about 1:15 p.m.

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Ali Kucukgocmen, Brendan Krisel, and Adam Nichols contributed to this report.

Lead image courtesy of Claire Graves on Twitter. Secondary images via Ali Kucukgocmen/Patch.