Christmas market fire 'destroys at least four stores' as firefighters battle blaze at popular winter village
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Firefighters descended on a popular Christmas market after a fire erupted at one of its stalls earlier today.
The Winter Village, at Bryant Park in New York City, was engulfed in flames on Friday morning - sending plumes of black smoke billowing over the Big Apple.
Emergency services were called to the scene just after 9am (2pm in the UK) in America's largest city where they discovered a number of market stalls in flames.
More footage from the scene showed smoke pouring out over the site, just next to the New York Public Library and blocks from landmarks like the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center.
Firefighters rushed to the scene at Bryant Park
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The fire destroyed at least four pop-up vendor shops and damaged a fifth, according to reporters at the scene.
One of those reporters, Howard Weiss, shared clips of New York Fire Department officials poring over charred debris in the blaze's aftermath.
"Get out, get out, let's go, get out, get out," a security guard at the park can heard shouting at bystanders in a video shared on social media, as the flames at one stall intensify.
It remains unclear what caused the inferno - but New York's emergency management department warned commuters to expect traffic delays and road closures in the area.
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The Winter Village, at Bryant Park in New York City, was engulfed in flames on Friday morning
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FDNY battalion chief Joe Castellano said the cause of the fire was under investigation - and confirmed there were no injuries in the blaze.
But he also warned that the roof of an ice rink at Bryant Park suffered some damage in the inferno.
A statement from the park on social media read: "We are grateful for the FDNY's quick response to the incident that occurred earlier today.
"The Rink and The Lodge are currently open. Most of The Holiday Shops have reopened, and we expect all the Holiday Shops that were not affected by the fire to reopen later today."
The fire erupted blocks away from landmarks like the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center
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The fire isn't the only one to have rocked New York this Christmas season - Friday's incident is the second of its kind in just under two weeks.
Another fire broke out at the Herald Square Holiday Market on December 16, where at least 60 firefighters and emergency responders jumped into action on Broadway between West 35th and West 36th Streets.
One firefighter was seriously injured in the incident.
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