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NoHo Fire Caused by Careless Smoker, FDNY Says

By Patrick Hedlund

DNAinfo News Editor

NOHO — A careless smoker sparked the blaze that raged on the roof of a six-story building on Broadway Monday afternoon, fire officials said.

The two-alarm fire engulfed the roof of 628 Broadway between Bleecker and Houston streets, which houses an Urban Outfitters store on its ground floor, injuring an office tenant and two firefighters.

The cause of the blaze was "careless discard of smoking materials," the FDNY said, adding that a cigarette or cigar was most likely responsible for the fire.

The incident forced the evacuation of nearby buildings and was brought under control about an hour after it began, fire officials added.

Fire officials said intially that the fire might have been caused by the recent heat wave, which could have caused the roof to spontaneously combust.