Fire broke out Monday at Broadway’s Eugene O’Neill Theatre, long host of “The Book of Mormon,” drawing an extensive emergency response and blocking traffic in midtown Manhattan.
News 4 was at the scene just after the fire broke out at the West 49th Street theater. Multiple FDNY ladders extended to the roof as thick smoke billowed. More fire trucks arrived, as the response escalated.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury, officials said. No other injuries were reported.
Chopper 4 showed a heavy emergency presence at the scene. Traffic was blocked off in the area.
According to fire officials, the fire initially broke out in an electrical room between the fourth and fifth floors of the six-story theater. Firefighters knocked that down, then found more flames between the fifth floor and the roof.
Officials said various catwalks and rigs hampered their effort, but firefighters were eventually able to bring it under control. Much of the damage was confined to the fourth floor area and a backroom containing lighting equipment and dangling chandeliers, said New York Fire Department Assistant Chief David Simms.
“The Book of Mormon,” one of Broadway’s longest-running shows, had no scheduled performances on Monday. Performances for Tuesday and Wednesday were canceled, though it wasn’t clear how long the 1,108-seat theater would be out of operation.
The nine-time Tony Award-winning musical usually returns Tuesday through Sunday. There have been more than 5,000 performances of the show since opening at the theater in 2011.
A fire broke out at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Monday morning.
“The NYFD is at the site of the fire now and are handling matters at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre,” ATG Entertainment, which operates the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, said in a statement. “Everyone has been safely removed from the theater. We will keep all parties abreast of this developing situation.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
