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 the basement of the iconic store, which reopened in April after an extensive renovation. They also showed firefighters fighting the fire with hoses.
Carlsen said the fire started in the vault of an underground transformer that supplies 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 asserted that the surrounding buildings were not left without 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, former President Donald Trump’s business headquarters.
A company spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment.
FUENTE: Associated Press
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