HELL'S KITCHEN — A fire that broke out the morning after a snowstorm dumped more than 2 feet of snow on the city destroyed a popular empanada eatery and spread throughout the building, the FDNY said.
Firefighters responded to the blaze at 763 Ninth Ave. — home to the ground-floor restaurant Empanada Mama — at 8:47 a.m. sunday after a fire in the basement spread throughout the four-story building, the FDNY said.
Empanada Mama, was "completely gutted" by the fire, an assistant manager told the New York Post on Sunday.
The blaze, which began in the building’s boiler room, quickly spread to multiple floors in the mostly residential building, an FDNY spokesman said.
Emergency crews got the fire under control by 11:30 a.m., and there were no reported injuries, a spokesman said.
Department of Buildings records show complaints about the building’s boiler dating back to April 2001, including several about exhaust fumes from the boiler entering the building.
On Monday morning, an FDNY spokesman said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
Empanada Mama confirmed its closure in a Facebook post Sunday night.
"We would like to thank everybody for their concern. We will be back soon…. Thank you for all your prayers,” wrote the eatery, which also has a location on the Lower East Side.
A manager at Empanada Mama's LES outpost did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
Jasper’s Taphouse and Kitchen, a restaurant on the corner of 51st Street and Ninth Avenue, delayed its opening on Sunday as a result of the fire, a post on its Instagram page said.
“We’re sending positive vibes to all of our neighbors,” the restaurant said.
Firefighters also lost some time dealing with the repercussions of the blizzard when they arrived at the scene of the fire on Sunday, as the hydrants on Ninth Avenue were buried by snow.
“NYC homeowners, business owners — clear a path to hydrants. Seconds matter,” the FDNY wrote on its Twitter page on Sunday.
Fire in Hell's Kitchen @NBCNewYork pic.twitter.com/0BY6OAy1li
— jimbricker (@jimbricker) January 24, 2016
#FDNY members on scene of active 4-alarm fire at 763 9th Ave in #Manhattan pic.twitter.com/hwkwYdSPgK
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 24, 2016
@FDNY Corner of 51st / 9th Ave. Looks perious. pic.twitter.com/3gx9LDEdYM
— Mr Chapman (@TC29849362) January 24, 2016
