New York firefighters on Wednesday evening battled a five-alarm blaze blocks from Union Square and Washington Square parks.
The FDNY's Twitter feed said recently that no injuries had been reported in the fire at 60 East Ninth Street.
Images and videos posted on social media showed smoke filling the surrounding area, including nearby Broadway.
NBC 4 in New York reported that Broadway was closed south of East 11th Street a few blocks down to Astor Place.
There was no immediate indication of what started the fire.