An electrical fire in a transformer that services the Tiffany & Co. store on New York’s Fifth Avenue sent thick gray smoke beneath the iconic building Thursday, causing two minor injuries, authorities said.
The fire did not spread to the store itself, but firefighters evacuated about 100 people from the building as a precaution, Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Carlsen said. Two people suffered minor injuries during the evacuation, Carlsen said.
The fire was reported just after 9:30 a.m. and was under control by noon, fire officials said. Videos posted on social media showed smoke billowing from under the store, which had reopened in April after an extensive renovation. Videos showed firefighters fighting the blaze with hoses.
Carlsen said the fire was in the vault of an underground transformer that provides power to the Tiffany Building.
Alfonso Quiroz, a spokesman for the utility company Consolidated Edison, said the cause of the fire is being investigated. Quiroz said surrounding buildings did not lose power.
The Fifth Avenue store made famous by the 1961 movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is the flagship of the luxury retailer founded in 1837 by jeweler Charles Lewis Tiffany. The company was acquired by LVMH in 2021.
The Tiffany Building is next to Trump Tower, the home of former President Donald Trump’s business.
A Tiffany spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
2023-06-29 18:42:00
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