2-Alarm Fire Torches Roof Deck In West Village, FDNY Says

WEST VILLAGE, NY — The roof deck of a West Village apartment building burst into flames early on Wednesday morning, New York City Fire Department officials said.

According to the FDNY, the 2-alarm fire started around 6:50 a.m. on the roof of the 12-story apartment building at 158 Bank St., spreading to the penthouse on the roof, and more than 100 firefighters and medics were on the scene.

The FDNY's Deputy Chief Jospeh Schiralli said that due to the wind blowing off of the Hudson river, it was a difficult fire to put out, and the fire spread to the top ninth and tenth floors of a next-door building, which firefighters had to evacuate.

The FDNY is still determining the cause of the fire, Schiralli said.

"These green spaces are great in New York City. It's a great use of what would normally be unused space, but often times we get fires on them. People go out, smoke a cigarette, they drop it. We don't know the cause, I'm not saying that was the cause, but it did start on the roof that communicated into the penthouse and it becomes a difficult fire for units," Schiralli said.

The FDNY said the fire was put out at 8:55 a.m. and no injuries were reported.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.