Huge Harlem Fire Devastates Row Of Businesses

HARLEM, NY — A massive fire tore through a commercial building in Central Harlem early Wednesday morning, badly damaging some of the small businesses that line the block.

The five-alarm fire broke out just after 3 a.m. at 490 Lenox Ave., the one-story building near West 134th Street at the base of the Lenox Terrace apartment complex. No serious injuries have been reported.

Shops on the block include the Lenox Terrace management office, the clothing store Sesinko, Lenox Fish Market, the former Paragon Department Store, and the popular Manna's soul food restaurant. By Wednesday morning, most of them appeared gutted, littered with burned debris as sunlight shone in through caved-in ceilings.

"We don't have no store right now," said Ian Park, one of the owners of Manna's. Park said he was told fire began in a bodega a few doors down, and that most of the damage to his restaurant was caused by firefighters breaking down walls in an effort to stop the blaze.

Flames across the street from me as the businesses go up in flames… #HarlemFire #135th #4alarmfire pic.twitter.com/XTnYMzmLKA
— Dr Marcelle Mentor (@Dr_MMentor) November 3, 2021

"They tore apart the whole building, basically, to the management office," Park told Patch. "They ripped through our store to the front."

Nearly 200 firefighters responded to the fire, which reached a fifth alarm by 6:29 a.m. It was finally brought under control by 7:19 a.m., and one firefighter was hospitalized with minor injuries.

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Authorities could not immediately say what caused the fire. U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat tweeted that his office was "ready to assist every business impacted by this disaster, and ensure they can recover and reopen safely."

The devastation came just two years after another fire in the same location caused damage to Manna's and forced it to close for months.

It also came six months after Harlem rallied around the founder of Manna's, Betty Park, a Korean American businesswoman whose pig's feet, collard greens and cornbread have nourished the neighborhood since 1985. (Manna's has another location on West 126th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard).

Community leaders organized the rally last spring amid an uptick in crimes targeting Asian New Yorkers.

"From African Americans to Latinos, everybody love her," said Evangelist Robert Rice at the April 14 rally.

Related coverage: Harlem Celebrates Korean Restaurant Owner Amid Racist Attacks

Have a Harlem news tip? Email reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.