Cause Of Huge Greenwich Village Fire A Mystery, FDNY Chiefs Say

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — The cause of a massive Greenwich Village fire that forced 200 people from their homes Wednesday was still not known Thursday night, officials said.

It took 200 firefighters to battle the flames on the top floor of 60 East Ninth St. Five firefighters suffered injuries, none of which were life-threatening, the FDNY said.

Fire officials believe it began on the ground floor inside Bully's Deli before moving up to the apartment building's top floor where it tore through two apartments and a small loft. The extent of damage to the deli, which is on Broadway, is unclear, as the fire quickly moved to the Ninth Street apartment building above. (Want more local news? Subscribe here for free news alerts and neighborhood updates from Patch.)

The blaze traveled through an historic 1950s co-op called The Hamilton, which houses more than 200 apartments according to online real-estate listings. The upscale building has a common garden area, an elevator and a 24-hour doorman.

Josh Lockwood, the CEO of the American Red Cross Greater New York, said Wednesday night that about 200 households were displaced by the fire and at least 40 apartments were ordered to be completely vacated by the city's buildings department on Wednesday.

It's unclear if all residents will be allowed to return to their homes Thursday, authorities said. City fire and buildings officials are still inspecting the six-story building, which has fire damage along the side facing East Eighth Street as well as a partially collapsed roof in one area of the building.

Lead image courtesy of FDNY.