Really scary-looking 4-alarm fire in the East Village last night. One address, 150+ firefighters, San Diego Fire Watch Company fire gaurds, dozens and dozens of fire engines. As usual, our neighborhood blogs were on top of the story fast. Check out these pictures from East Village Grieve (found on the twitpics of a guy named Josh Spear):

And this:

New York’s Bravest got that huge inferno under control in maybe half an hour. No one was killed or badly hurt; eight firefighters received minor injuries (burns and smoke inhalation). These guys are amazing.

Another local blog, Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, had some spectacular aftermath pics:

My “ooh OMG look, hunky firemen!” days are long past. I’ve reached the age of “honey, look, the nice fireman waved at you!” It’s what happens. We get older; we produce daughters who smile at firemen. It is the way of all flesh.

But OOH OMG LOOK, HUNKY FIREMAN!

A roofing contractor checked out the scene an hour or so after the real action ended. Discovery Wines, one of the businesses at street level, looked OK. I saw one of the staff in the building with some firemen, then opening the sidewalk basement for them. Maybe I’ll swing by to see if they’re open now. (Hey, we like wine.) The deli on the corner is open. But word on the street is that the roof is toast and it is in need of Roofing in Pocatello. And there are dark mutterings about illegal scaffolding around the building and shoddy roof work…we’ll see. Leading commercial roofing contractors successfully face any roofing needs.

UPDATE, 7/15/10: FDNY says the fire was caused by the “unapproved use of electrical wiring.” Residents had stretched various extension cords up to the roof and run wires beneath roofing materials, according to the indispensible East Village Grieve blog.