The flagship location of Tiffany & Company caught on fire Thursday in New York City after it underwent expensive refurbishment.
The New York Fire Department said the 727 5th Avenue location was reported to be on fire just before 10:00 a.m., Fox News reported.
Aerial video footage shows firefighters at the scene spraying water over a sidewalk grate near the building’s entrance:
The fire was reportedly caused by a transformer malfunction that became an electrical fire and is currently under investigation while officials also inspect nearby buildings for possible damage.
According to fire officials, there were no reported injuries caused by the blaze.
An image shows a fire truck at the scene as people on the street watch smoke billow from one of the building’s windows:
BREAKING: Tiffany's on New York's Fifth Avenue is on fire.....@TiffanyAndCo pic.twitter.com/PzbBfz8uK8
— 🇺🇸 Pamela Geller 🇺🇸 (@PamelaGeller) June 29, 2023
The company calls the location “The Landmark,” and it is a flagship storefront for the iconic brand, per Fox.
“Parent company LVMH recently spent upwards of $500 million to refurbish The Landmark after closing it down for renovations in 2019,” the outlet said.
The Daily Mail noted the store is adjacent to Trump Tower, adding some employees were reportedly seen being whisked away in ambulances.
The outlet said the fire happened just as the store was preparing to open for the day.
“The iconic store at 727 Fifth Avenue was featured in the 1961 film Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Today, there is an ‘Audrey Room’ inside the newly refurbished, 10-storey [sic] building,” the report added.
Watch the opening scene from the movie featuring the store and its display windows:
“The flagship store opened in 1940 but was made famous around the world 21 years later in Breakfast At Tiffany’s,” the Mail report said.
The Tiffany store was previously decorated in dark wood, but now it features white marble and 14 video screens that are 19 feet tall showing images that brighten the room even more:
The store closed in 2020 for renovations that were scheduled to take one year. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the project took longer than expected, but the store was eventually able to reopen in April, according to the Mail report.
A Tiffany spokesperson said the electrical fire broke out in a basement and had since been put out.
The company was also working with officials to ensure the location was safe to reopen later in the day, the spokesperson added.
