WEST VILLAGE — The fire that closed the Waverly Inn was sparked by faulty electrical wiring in the popular restaurant's basement, fire officials said Tuesday.
More than 60 firefighters arrived at the famously exclusive 16 Bank St. restaurant, which is located at the corner of Waverly Place, after workers saw smoke and called 911 at 5:20 p.m. Monday.
The Graydon Carter-owned restaurant — whose beloved mural of New York City notables of the past 150 years was damaged in the fire — remained closed Tuesday evening as workers hauled out burnt debris.
A manager who declined to give his name said it is not clear yet when the A-list spot would reopen.
"We don't really know yet," he said.
Illustrator Edward Sorel's mural, which was created in 2007, depicts 40 Village legends of the past 150 years in a hedonistic frenzy — from beat poet Allen Ginsberg and abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock, to erotic novelist Anais Nin and birth-control advocate Margaret Sanger.
Sorel said Monday that the art, which was the subject of a 2008 book, could be replaced by being reprinted from digital files.
Employees of the restaurant helped rescue a panicked building resident from a first-floor apartment, and firefighters brought the blaze under control by 6:15 p.m.
There were no serious injuries reported from the fire, officials said.
