7 days ago
Fire erupts under swanky French restaurant, sending massive plumes of smoke across NYC's Midtown
A fire broke out in the basement under a swanky French restaurant Tuesday – sending massive plumes of thick smoke billowing across the heart of Manhattan.
The blaze was sparked in the mechanical room below La Grande Boucherie on 53rd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues around 4:50 p.m., according to an FDNY spokesperson.
Video obtained by The Post shows streams of smoke coming from the front part of the building at 1325 6th Avenue that forced some nearby workers outside to mask up.
'It was a heavy, plastic smell,' said Colin Sweeney, who works at a hotel across the street.
'I said to my colleague, 'You don't want to smell that' so we went inside immediately,' he added. 'It set off our fire alarm. It was a heavy dense smoke.'
The fire took about a little more than an hour to get under control after more than 100 fire firefighters and EMS personnel rushed to the building.
There were no injuries from the blaze, though it's unclear what damage was sustained throughout the building, which is mostly made up of office space.
The smoke spread around the corner toward the Hilton Hotel, making it appear that the high-rise hotel was possibly affected.
The public pathway next to the La Grande Boucherie was blocked off in the aftermath of the inferno.
