Just before 2:15 am last night a fire erupted on the top floor of 200 Willoughby Avenue on the Pratt Institute campus. The fire soon engulfed the building and raged for two hours before it was brought under control, a fire department spokesman told DNAinfo. A source told the New York Post that flammable materials in an art classroom increased the intensity of the blaze. Two fire fighters suffered minor injuries. According to the ABC News website, the fire damaged the building’s sixth floor and roof and smoke and water likely damaged the floors below. The building houses administrative offices on the lower floors and classrooms above and it was supposedly locked and empty when the fire broke out. The blaze has been deemed suspicious and is under investigation. You can view the ABC video of the fire here.

UPDATE: We received the following update from a Pratt spokesperson: The six-story building’s roof and its sixth floor were gutted. The fifth floor was badly damaged by the fire and there is water damage throughout the building. The historic Main Building, which was built in 1887, houses fine art classes and studios in addition to administrative offices. Classes have been cancelled in Main Building and the adjoining South Hall for today, Friday, February 15 and tomorrow, Saturday, February 16.

Fire Damages Building on Pratt Campus [NY Post]
Two Firefighters Injured in Massive Blaze at Pratt [DNAinfo]
Huge Fire Tears Through Pratt Institute Building [WABC]

Photo via NYCity Alerts


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. That’s terrible news. It could take a long time to repair the damage. Well, at least a meteor didn’t explode over us this morning like in Russia, which caused a lot of damage and over 1,000 injuries.

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