Not sure exactly what happened, but last night there was quite a commotion on Allen Street between Hester and Grand. The number of FDNY vehicles seems consistent with a 10-75 (Notification of a Fire or Emergency), but I didn’t smell smoke or see any evidence of fire. The pictures below were taken between 1:00a and 2:00a on August 24, 2008.
The Fire Department closed and occupied the entire northbound section of Allen Street between Hester and Grand. Given the fire hoses and active fire hydrant, I’m guessing there was an actual fire. Thankfully, I didn’t see any evidence of injuries and don’t recall hearing or seeing any ambulances leave the scene.
Firefighters on the scene. While they were working, no one seemed rushed, so I’m guessing everything was under control by the time I took this picture.
Evacuated residents waiting near the corner of Allen and Hester. They were out waiting long after I went to bed, but everything seemed to be back to normal this morning. Probably everyone’s sleeping off the night’s excitement.
Apparently, conserving water isn’t the Fire Department’s chief consideration. The hydrant was spraying like this for at least an hour. When this truck arrived, I thought they were here to turn off the hydrant. Instead, they parked and started eating in the cab.
Because it was being used by the Fire Department, north-bound Allen Street was closed between Hester and Grand. Vehicles were detoured east on Hester and then north on Essex (presumably: Orchard was also blocked off by the Fire Department, Essex is the next northbound street). Unfortunately, the M15 bus also runs on Allen Street on its long trip up to East Harlem, but the long buses used by the MTA are too wide to maneuver on Hester Street. So, these buses were trapped here for the duration. What I don’t understand is why the police didn’t stop southbound traffic on Allen Street long enough to let the buses out.
Maybe these MTA bus drivers were happy with an extended late-night break.
All in all, a hectic night. Luckily, it appears that no one was hurt and there was minimal (if any) property damage. Hopefully, everything quickly returns to normal for everyone affected!
