Union Square’s famed Strand Bookstore was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after someone accidentally set off pepper spray, the FDNY says.
Firefighters say they were called to the store at Broadway and East 12th Street at around 4 p.m.
Officials say about two dozen people inside the store were coughing, but no one had to be taken to the hospital.
Crews tested air quality, and the building was reopened after the air was deemed safe.
The store, which opened in 1927, boasts "18 miles of used and rare books."
Copyright AP - Associated Press
