Oct. 23, 2015 By Jackie Strawbridge
An early morning fire on Thursday forced a row of businesses at Broadway and 37th Street to close indefinitely.
The fire broke out at 2:30 a.m. at 31-88 37th St., according to the FDNY. There were no injuries.
Neighboring businesses including the Chicken Shack on Broadway, Jewels of Buddha handcrafts and Winegasm bar and restaurant were subsequently closed while cleanup and investigation takes place.
Tone Pilates studio will be operating temporarily from Natura Spa, 31-78 Steinway St., the owner said.
A City Vape awning is over 31-88 37th St., but the owner said they left that property in June.
The property owner could not be reached as of press time.
Chicken Shack manager Alex Prenga said his employees were cleaning up when the fire started, and called 911.
“I came in, and it was smoke everywhere,” Prenga said. “We have big damage downstairs, in the ceilings and in the kitchen – inventory, a lot of stuff downstairs [is] all garbage.”
The cause of the fire was still under investigation as of Friday.
Reach reporter Jackie Strawbridge at jackie.strawbridge@queenspost.com
