Fire Damages Excelsior Bar And Surrounding Businesses Thursday Night
60 firefighters were called to 563 5th Avenue Thursday evening after the owner of Excelsior Bar (563 5th Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets) discovered smoke in their basement.
The FDNY received the call at approximately 6:02pm on Thursday, April 28, and sent 12 units to the scene, according to an FDNY spokesperson. Officials say the incident was under control by approximately 6:39pm.
“We discovered smoke in our basement, which is underneath La Nacional next to us at 561 5th Avenue around 5:30pm, just prior to opening. I called 911,” said Mark Nayden, owner of Excelsior Bar. “The fire seems to have occurred in the ceiling either of La Nacional or the Eyebrow store [Rawaj Eyebrows Threading Spa] next to them. The fire department opened up part of our ceiling in the front to access the other space. They turned all the power off in the buildings.”
According to the FDNY, no injuries have been reported.
Neighbor and Savor the Slope writer Stacy Blundell witnessed the incident. “They sprayed a lot of water into the La Nacional spot,” she says. “Looks like the hose is all the way into the back of Excelsior, too.”
“[There’s] mostly cosmetic damage on the main floor. Water damage in the basement,” says Nayden, describing the current state of Excelsior, which relocated to 563 5th Avenue in September 2015 from its previous 390 5th Avenue address. “We are accessing all of it this morning [Friday, April 29] and we have an electrician coming in to certify that our electrical is ok so that we can reopen tonight.”
According to the FDNY, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
We have reached out to both La Nacional and Rawaj Eyebrows Threading Spa for comment, however both currently have non-working phone numbers.
The neighborhood has experienced several other fires over the last four weeks. In addition to this incident, a fire took place on the roof at 404 13th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues) on Sunday, April 24 and multiple apartments caught fire on Saturday, March 26 at 234 and 236 12th Streets (between 4th and 5th Avenues).