Artichoke Pizza Fire Started By Heat From Pizza Oven Flue: FDNY

EAST VILLAGE, NY — The blaze that destroyed the interior of an Artichoke Basille's Pizza in the East Village was started by heat from a pizza oven flue, officials said.

An early-morning fire broke out on May 26 at the Artichoke Pizza location at 328 W 14th St., the chain's flagship location which has been open since 2008. The fire department said Wednesday that the fire was accidental, and started because of heat from a pizza oven.

The early-morning blaze devastated the interior of the popular pizza joint, which is famous for its unique signature slice featuring artichoke hearts, spinach and cream sauce. The fire broke out at about 5:15 a.m. on May 26 and extended to the second and third floors of the mixed-use building before firefighters declared it under control about an hour later. No one was injured in the fire.

The damage was signifiant enough that authorities had to evacuate other tenants from the building after the ground-floor blaze was extinguished.

The East Village location was the original store of the growing NYC-chain, which recently opened its tenth location in the city in Williamsburg. Before the fire, the chain had planned to move from its flagship location to a bigger space across the street at 321 E 14th St. In the wake of the fire, it's unclear whether the pizza shop will reopen at the damaged location before its lease is up. Artichoke Pizza could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday afternoon. (For more East Village and NYC news, subscribe here for free breaking news alerts from Patch.)

Lead image via Ciara McCarthy / Patch.