By Joy Bergmann
Smoke poured from the former Park 79 Hotel at 117 W. 79th Street [between Columbus and Amsterdam] Monday morning around 9:07 a.m., according to FDNY and a WSR tipster.
FDNY officials said the blaze began in the cellar of the building. A hazardous materials team also responded because propane tanks were found in the cellar, FDNY said.
The fire was under control by 10:01 a.m. and no injuries were reported, FDNY said; its cause is under investigation.
As WSR reported in October 2020, the property is being converted into 77 units of permanent, affordable housing for seniors through a partnership between real estate developer Fairstead and the nonprofit Project FIND.
Radio reports from the fire filed on the Citizen app noted that, “all construction personnel” had been accounted for at the scene.
WSR reached out to the firm believed to be heading up the construction project; we will update this story if we hear back.
Update January 4, 8:00 a.m.:
A spokesperson for Fairstead contacted WSR with this statement. “We are grateful to the FDNY for their quick response and have suspended construction at the site until their inspection and investigation has concluded. Thankfully, no workers were injured. We are redeveloping the Park 79 hotel into affordable housing for seniors with on-site services provided by local nonprofit Project FIND, which we look forward to opening later this year.”
