Fire Breaks Out In Luxury Hotel on W. 51st St., No Injuries

A fire broke out in a luxury hotel on Seventh Ave. on Monday, April 6, the FDNY said. Nobody appeared to be injured, with one civilian refusing medical attention on the scene.

The blaze started in The Michelangelo, which has an entrance between W. 51st St. and W. 52nd St. and abuts the Eastern end of Seventh Ave., not long before 9:50 a.m. A total of 38 units, or 120 FDNY and EMS personnel, responded to the scene.

The fire was under control by 10:32 a.m., an FNDY spokesperson told Our Town. A cause remains under investigation.

A visit to the scene, at around 10:40 a.m., revealed that a number of firetrucks had all but shut down W. 51st St. Not many onlookers stood by to gawk, but a few could be still be spotted gazing up through the bright sun at the hotel, which didn’t appear to be outwardly affected.

A woman named Rachel, who said she lived in a residential building next door, said that she wasn’t alerted to the existence the fire by management. In fact, it was the smell of smoke that tipped her off.

She added that she then spotted what looked like a fire on few floors down from where she lives, on the 17th floor, and that she made her way outside via the stairs.

Another resident standing next to her, who preferred anonymity, expressed frustration that no alarm had been given by building staff.

A few firefighters, who looked like they had been combatting the blaze, emerged from the lobby of The Michelangelo not long thereafter. They appeared to have a dusting of soot on them, but otherwise looked unharmed.