One minute, sunshine and spring blossoms were the only things descending from the sky, the next moment it was ashes, soot and fire-hose water cascading from the first roof-deck fire of the year in Lower Manhattan on Sunday afternoon.
The blaze, atop a five-story building on East Seventh Street near Avenue C in the East Village, was quickly put out. Three firefighters were treated for minor injuries, but no one else was hurt and the fire did not spread to neighboring buildings or the floors below, said Deputy Chief Michael McPartland of the New York City Fire Department.
Deputy Chief McPartland said it was the first of its kind in 2013, in the division under his command, south of 42nd Street. He said he did not think it would be the last. “In summertime, this time of year, when the weather starts to get nice, we get more roof-deck fires from barbecues,†he said.
The fire on Sunday did not appear to be related to a barbecue. It was thought to have started near cellphone towers on the roof, officials said. But on Monday, a Firefighter Thomas Schwaber, a spokesman for the department, said the cause was still being investigated by fire marshals.
