MURRAY HILL — A three-alarm fire tore through a popular Jewish eatery on Third Avenue Sunday evening, fire officials said.
More than 100 firefighters raced to Sarge's Delicatessen, located at 548 Third Ave., when the blaze broke out just before 7 p.m., according to the FDNY.
"There was smoke billowing for like two hours," said a neighborhood resident who witnessed the fire. "It was pretty big. The firefighters were trying to move people away.''
Nobody was hurt in the blaze, officials said.
The fire was under control a couple of hours later, a spokesman said.
Marshals do not believe the fire was intentionally set, officials said.
But Sarge's sustained heavy damage and needed to be boarded up.
Bette Guastaferro, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years, said she was worried about the future of the famed Jewish restaurant, which is known for its pastrami and matzo ball soup.
''It's one of the last-standing old spots of the neighborhood," Guastaferro said. "It's an institution that'll be missed. It's irreplaceable in this neighborhood."
