Two-Alarm Fire Breaks Out at Hollywood Diner in Chelsea
The August 28 blaze started in the ductwork of the diner just after 11 a.m., and took more than an hour to contain. Two firefighters were taken to Lenox Hill Greenwich with minor injuries, the FDNY said. It could not be learned if the diner will be reopened.
A fire broke out in a four-story commercial building at W. 16th St. and 6th Ave. on the morning of August 28, the FDNY confirmed to Straus News. It began in the ductwork of the Hollywood Diner, which is located on the ground floor of 574 6th Ave. The cause of the blaze is currently being investigated by fire marshals.
The fire was first called in at 11:11 a.m., and was deemed a two-alarm blaze at 11:30 a.m. A total of 106 FDNY members rushed to the scene, plus EMS. Two firefighters were taken to Lenox Hill Greenwich with minor injuries.
Bill Macagnone, the owner of Body Evolutions–a fitness workshop located on the building’s second floor–told amNY that black smoke began emanating out of the walls: “It was from where the grease trap is. There’s a smokestack that goes up the side of the building. It got so dark and smoky fast. I grabbed whatever I could and ran out.”
Macagnone added that responding firefighters shattered windows to to air out the building.
Indeed, a next-day visit to the building revealed that some of the its windows remained newly boarded up, although its exterior did not otherwise appear to be catastrophically damaged.
When the Hollywood Diner was reached for comment, a person on the other end of the phone simply said that the restaurant was “closed.” It is uncertain when the beloved local diner will recover from the effects of the fire and reopen.
It certainly had overwhelmingly positive reviews on Yelp before the blaze, with one reviewer calling it a “neighborhood classic” that has been around “for decades.”
”Thank God no one got hurt at the fire at the Hollywood Diner,” local resident Helen Murphy posted on the app NextDoor. She noted that the fire erupted in a building next to the New York Foundling Hospital. “I feel for the owner and the workers, they are all out of work right now,” she said.
”It’s one of my favorite diners and I feel so awful for them and for the customers,” Pamela B. added on the same app.
”Let’s wish a speedy recovery to the injured firefighters and thank New York’s Bravest,” Avra Cohen posted.