By Josh Williams
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
FINANCIAL DISTRICT — A fire that tore through Ryan Maguire’s Ale House last week has left tenants of the above apartments and neighboring building homeless.
The Department of Buildings shuttered the Irish pub and issued an order to vacate the premises, as well the building next door, threatening to arrest residents if they attempted to enter the unstable structures.
A group of frustrated tenants gathered in front of the building, located at 28 Cliff St., along with owner Tom Maguire on Tuesday but declined to comment on the situation.
“It’s not a good time, I can’t talk right now,” Maguire said as he walked toward the rear of building to assess the damages, carrying piles of paperwork in his arms. The building still smelled of smoke, and two gaping holes remained in a rear wall that were created for ventilation purposes.
Water damage from the fire also forced the building adjacent to Maguire’s to be vacated. A sign taped to the pub's door directed residents in need of assistance to contact the Red Cross.
An FDNY spokesman stated that the source of the blaze was an electrical fire that occurred in the bar’s basement near the sump pump.
