A fire broke out inside a Manhattan building containing a restaurant and other businesses Thursday, alarming passersby who saw flames and black smoke billowing from the roof.
Fire officials said the fire started in what appears to be a storage shed on top of 205 E. 26th Street and then spread to the roof of neighboring building 203 near Third Avenue in Kips Bay.
Cellphone video showed flames and black smoke shooting up from the roof.
An Office of Emergency Management officials said fire officials found what looks like bedding material in the shed, which may have fueled the fire.
The building houses a nail salon and massage spa, a dry cleaner and a cafe that hadn't yet opened for business.
Mohammed Ashref, the owner of Cherry NYC restaurant inside the building, said he had no idea a fire had broken out until someone alerted them to it.
"We ran out and saw the fire -- a lot of fire, high flames," he said.
Local
No injuries were reported. Officials say the damage was contained to the roof, though some of the business owners were seen bailing water out of their stores.
