6 Fires Ignite On UWS, Including In Barney Greengrass Dining Shed

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A total of six fires ignited within a 26-block span on the Upper West Side Thursday morning between 5 and 6 a.m., including a blaze that damaged Barney Greengrass' outdoor dining shed, FDNY said and photos show.

Here are the details from an FDNY spokesperson:

• 5:07 a.m.: West 86th Street and Broadway subway station, rubbish fire
• 5:23 a.m.: West 70th Street and Broadway subway station, rubbish fire
• 5:26 a.m.: 203 West 87th St., outside rubbish fire
• 5:38 a.m.: West 87th Street and Amsterdam, outdoor dining area fire
• 5:51 a.m.: West 96th Street and Broadway, outside rubbish fire

FDNY did not say to Patch the fires were ignited intentionally, but the NYPD confirmed to the WestSideRag that at least the fire at Barney Greengrass's outdoor dining shed was "intentionally set."

Barney Greengrass is an iconic Jewish deli that has served customers on the Upper West Side since 1908.

A photo was also snapped of the nearby rubbish pile fire at 203 West 87th St.

"We've endured substantial deterioration in our quality of life on the UWS but these arson fires are a new and frightening phenomenon," Julia Vitullo-Martin, who photographed the fires on Thursday morning, told Patch.

On two occasions in March, fires were intentionally set in Central Park without a culprit ever being caught. It was never confirmed that the same person set the fire in both cases.

This is a developing story, please check back in for details.