Our neighborhood is rattled by horrific fire in building formerly housed the famous St Nick’s Pub in #WestHarlem pic.twitter.com/wSIjSAUSbS
— Juan Rosa (@JuanRosa_NYC) March 23, 2018
Late Thursday night, a five-alarm blaze broke out on the Harlem set of Motherless Brooklyn, an upcoming film starring Edward Norton and Bruce Willis. This video — captured by resident Juan Rosa — shows flames shooting out of the building that once housed St. Nick’s Pub (which once hosted jazz greats but closed in 2012). During attempts to extinguish the fire, conditions unfortunately turned fatal, and the FDNY announced early Friday morning that one of their own, Michael R. Davidson, was lost.
It is with deep regret that FDNY announces the death of Firefighter Michael R. Davidson. Read more: https://t.co/TCJoYSHksU pic.twitter.com/zJWvSIaPjH
— FDNY (@FDNY) March 23, 2018
ABC News reports that Davidson, a 37-year-old married father of four, indeed died from injuries that he sustained while battling the blaze, which also caused serious burn injuries to two other firefighters. Variety adds that Davidson was cited for bravery during four other instances, and Norton (in conjunction with the film’s producers) has issued condolences in a statement:
“To our great sorrow, we now know that a NYC firefighter lost his life battling the blaze that grew, and our hearts ache in solidarity with his family. New York City firefighters truly are the bravest in the world. We watched firsthand with astonishment as they charged into the smoke to make sure all were safely out and then fought to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading, putting their lives on the line as they do every day.”
Fox News notes that the building was empty when the blaze broke out, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.