Fire Erupts At Union Square TGI Fridays; Five Customers Evacuated [UPDATE]

A fire broke out at the Union Square location of TGI Friday's on Tuesday afternoon, blocking traffic and emitting plumes of smoke, according to witness videos. It started around 12:13 p.m. inside the restaurant at 34 Union Square, according to DNAinfo. The New York Fire Department brought it under control by about 1 p.m. It mostly impacted the facade of the restaurant, while the interior largely suffered from smoke damage, DNAinfo reports. Nobody was injured in the incident. Eater has reached out to TGI Friday's and will update with any response.

Just another day at the old office

A photo posted by @chefholzman on May 10, 2016 at 9:26am PDT

The location opened about six years ago, and by 2014, the owner of the location looked to sell it due to poor sales. However, the restaurant remained open. The cause of the fire is not yet clear.

Update: National Restaurants Management, which runs the location, said in a statement that about five customers were safely evacuated from the restaurant. According to the company, the fire started on the East 16th Street sidewalk and spread to decorative wood siding of the building. "The fire had nothing to do with restaurant operations," the statement says. The location will reopen soon.