NEW YORK — A single-alarm fire that destroyed a 34th Street window display of swimsuits Tuesday morning at Macy’s Herald Square is being investigated by the New York City Fire Department as suspicious.
No one was injured, damage was minimal and business was not affected. The fire was reported at 8:01 a.m., was declared under control within half an hour and the store opened at its usual 10 a.m. time.
However, in view of the fire department’s initial findings, store security will be posted outside Macy’s during nonbusiness hours for an unspecified length of time, a company official said.
The blaze was listed as “suspicious” by fire marshals because of the way it spread, according to an NYFD spokesman. Later in the day, a spokesman further reported that investigators suspected that an accelerant had been placed in the display from within the store.
The spokesman added that it will be at “least a couple of days” before the investigation is completed.
The fire was reported by a phone call from a Macy’s employee, the spokesman said. David Hinder, Macy’s senior vice president, personnel/operations, said the fire was not hot enough to set off the sprinkler system.
Hinder said there was not much fire, “just a lot of smoke.”
A Macy’s spokeswoman said there was only slight water damage to the Cellar and subbasement of the store. The display window was shattered by the firefighters in order to reach the fire.
No merchandise inside the store was damaged. However, the two mannequins and the two swimsuits in the display were ruined, said the spokeswoman.