By Tuan Nguyen and Tom Liddy
DNAinfo Reporters
MANHATTAN — A smoky fire broke out in a historic Lower Manhattan high-rise just steps from the Occupy Wall Street protest encampment at Zuccotti Park — injuring a dozen firefighters, officials said.
The two-alarm blaze erupted on the 28th floor of the Equitable Building at 120 Broadway, near Pine Street, at 5:30 p.m., the FDNY said.
"The fire alarm went off around a quarter to six,'' said Vrajesh Jhaveri, who works on the 19th floor. "I came out but didn't see anything, but the firemen had to break the windows for the smoke to get out.''
Some 36 units and 126 firefighters fought the flames at the 41-story high-rise, near Zuccotti Park, where the protesters have been camped out since Sept. 17.
The FDNY said that 12 firefighters suffered minor injuries and that the fire, which was brought under control just before 7 p.m. The blaze was not deemed suspicious, but the cause was under investigation.
The Equitable Building, which dates to 1915, is listed as a National Historic Landmarkand was the largest in the world when it was completed, according to Silverstein Properties.
It has undergone a $60 million renovation, the developer said.
