MANHATTAN — Ductwork on a building across from B&H Photo caught fire Wednesday morning, sending a large column of smoke wafting into the air, officials and witnesses said.
The flames started in the kitchen of Alpha Asian fusion restaurant at 365 W. 34th St., near Ninth Avenue, about 10:15 a.m, officials said.
"The fire started from the stove of the restaurant and traveled through a shaft up to the building roof. We evacuated the building and the gas has been turned off," Battalion 7 Chief John Buckheit said on Wednesday morning.
It took firefighters approximately an hour to extinguish the fire, officials said. One firefighter was injured when he fell from a flight of stairs and hurt his back, Buckheit said. He was sent to Bellevue hospital where he was listed in serious but stable conditions, officials said.
"I was preparing sushi and we started boiling oil because the cook was about to arrive," said the owner of Alpha Asian Fusion Henry Wang, "it looks like that's what started the fire," he said.
James Tracey, a barber at Locks N Chops Hair which is above Alpha Asian Fusion restaurant, was giving a haircut to a client when the fire broke.
"First we thought it was steam because it's cold outside but then the firefighters arrived and they said get out, the building is on fire," Tracey said. "It smelled like fuel or oil was burning," the 47-year-old man said adding he still had time to pack a bag with a few of his barber tools before leaving his shop.
