MANHATTAN – Street construction delayed firefighters responding to a small but intense trash fire on the sidewalk in front of the Steve Madden store on East 86th Street near Lexington Avenue on the Upper East Side just after 8:30pm Friday night.
NYPD officers— who were in the area helping with street closures— could be seen keeping their distance from orange and yellow flames— which were jumping a foot or two into the air— directing pedestrians around the fire, which was burning close to a tree and a pile of cardboard.
ALSO READ: Conspiracy Theorists Hang Swastika Poster on Fifth Avenue in Disgusting Display
East 86th Street was closed to traffic at the time of the fire because the roadway is being repaved as part of a Department of Transportation project, so the FDNY firetruck was forced to go around the block to get close to the scene of the fire, delaying their arrival.
Despite the detour, firefighters still made it to the scene within minutes and quickly doused the fames with a fire extinguisher once they arrived.
Officials on the scene said they weren’t sure what started the fire. No injuries were reported.
For updates around the clock, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
