Six-Alarm Fire Destroys Tenement at 116 Second Avenue and Severely Damages Historic Middle Collegiate Church, in East Village
A six-alarm fire early Saturday morning has destroyed 116 Second Avenue, a vacant 15-unit, five-story tenement building in the East Village, and heavily damaged the 128-year-old Middle Collegiate Church directly next door. The blaze was first reported at 4:48 a.m. and quickly spread to the historic church at 112 Second Avenue, which is located between East 6th and 7th Streets. It took 44 units with 198 firefighters to contain the inferno, and four firefighters suffered minor, non-life-threatening injuries. A third structure on East 7th Street also caught fire, but luckily everyone inside was able to safely escape. There is still no word as to the exact cause of the fire at this moment.
