A two-alarm fire gutted Mono + Mono early this morning.
The blaze broke out at the restaurant at 116 East Fourth Street around 1:15 a.m. and became a two-alarm fire at 1:27 a.m., with firefighters working both East Third and East Fourth Streets, between First and Second Avenues; it was under control by 2:24 a.m., the fire department said. There were no injuries.
Connor Adams Sheets, a reporter for The International Business Times who lives nearby, tweeted about hearing “a bang” and said others in the neighborhood had heard the same, but the fire department couldn’t confirm reports of an explosion.
Mono+Mono, which opened in late 2010 in the old Jeollado space, is known for its Korean fried chicken, in-house piano, and extensive vinyl collection. Over 30,000 of owner M.J. Chung’s records lined the walls.
Video of the fire can be found here. Its cause is still under investigation.
Update | 12 p.m.: Mary Murphy, a resident of 57 First Avenue, said that in addition to the fire at Mono + Mono, she saw “pretty big flames” on top of a multi-story apartment building on East Third Street that backs the one-story Mono + Mono building on East Fourth. Firefighters were seen entering the Hells Angels clubhouse at 77 East Third Street.
Update | 2 p.m. Mono + Mono has posted a message on its Facebook page: “Our big thanks to @FDNY. The fire that broke out last night at @MonoMonoNYC was quickly put out and everyone is safe. There was some water damage, so we’ll be closed for a few days to make repairs. We’ll be back stronger than ever! Stay tuned.”
