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Midtown Manhattan Mid-afternoon BlazeMarch wasted no time coming in like a lion in New York City. In the wee hours of March 1, the first major fire of 1996 resulted in the dispatch of 41 engines and 28 ladders to fight a fire at 525 8 Ave. The building was a 6 story brick non- fireproof construction measuring 60 x 80. The first floor was used as a Chinese restaurant and at the time of this writing, the fire is believed to have started there due to a broken gas line. The 2nd and 3rd floors were commercially used, and the remainder of the building was vacant. There was no one in the building when fire broke out. Smoke was pushing from every opening in the building making the concrete canyons of the Garment District of Manhattan a smoke filled labyrinth. Traffic and news copters filming the fire from the sky report that the plume reached altitudes of 2,000 feet. Fire buffs at the scene indicated that the fire was only visible in the rear of the building. Vehicular traffic became a nightmare in Midtown as 8th Ave was closed from 34th to 42nd Sts and 35th through 40th Sts were closed between 7th and 9th Aves. The fire fighting effort was hampered by the building construction. The fire communicated via the duct work from the Chinese restaurant and eventually consumed the 2nd floor. Built in 1905, the ceilings were double hung, and the rear windows were bricked up making it a labor intensive effort. Eventually all interior fire fighting ceased. An exterior attack began using tower ladders from the front, and hand lines in the rear via windows and roofs of adjacent buildings. A large HVAC unit that spanned the roof of the fire building and an adjoining building became a source of concern as the realistic possibility of collapse became evident. To reduce the risk of collapse, the subway running under 8th Ave was ordered to reduce speed through the area. No civilians were injured but 8 fire fighters suffered minor injuries. The most severe injury was a broken ankle when a fire fighter slipped on ice. The remainder were mainly smoke inhalation. The fire building most likely will be demolished. In order to meet the demand for fire fighting companies, and to maintain adequate fire coverage, 2 staging areas were set up. Engine and ladder companies assembled at the quarters of engine 54 at W 47 St & 8 Ave. When additional companies were needed at the fire, they responded from this location. A second staging area was set up in Brooklyn at engine 279's quarters. This location was selected due to their proximity to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. As companies were taken from engine 54, they were replaced with those from engine 279. This gave the Manhattan dispatchers the ability to continue to supply companies to the fire without seriously affecting remaining fire coverage. The only borough that did not supply companies was Staten Island. This fire is officially a 6th alarm. In reality it was a 10th alarm with an extra engine and 15 extra ladders.
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