A building fire can create fear — not just for the safety of residents, but for the fate of the property itself. City Council member Mark Levine, who represents Upper Manhattan, said neighbors are concerned that a six-alarm blaze at a Citibank in Morningside Heights will lead to a high-rise building replacing it – thus disrupting the flavor of the neighborhood.
“There is a constant fear of new development out of scale with the existing neighborhood,” Levine wrote on Twitter.
The two-story bank branch at 2861 Broadway Near West 111th Street was on fire for more than 30 hours both Saturday and yesterday. Three civilians and five firefighters suffered minor injuries. The blaze raged on after a floor collapsed just as firefighters had contained the blaze, published reports show.
Fire officials do not suspect arson, the New York Times said. [NYT] — Mark Maurer