An early-morning blaze yesterday gutted a well-known West Village party store and sent two firefighters to the hospital, authorities said.
It took less than an hour to contain the 7:16 a.m. fire but, by then, the entire Village Paper Party Store, at Greenwich Avenue and West 10th Street, was destroyed, authorities said.
The blaze spread quickly as it ignited the store’s inventory, which included a large number of paper products, costumes and other party supplies, officials said.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries after part of the ceiling collapsed, fire officials said. They were taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital.
The fire also damaged a children’s toy store next door, called Kid O.
The party store’s owner, Sun Wong, 45, said he and his wife were heartbroken to lose a business they had run for nearly two decades.
“Someone called and told me there was an explosion and a fire. I spent almost 20 years there. I worked so hard for the store. I am very sad,” he said, with tears welling up in his eyes.
Authorities said they were investigating what caused the fire.
An employee was shocked to discover the devastation after getting off the subway to go to work — and called it a great loss for the neighborhood.
“The owner’s been here since at least the early 1990s,” he said. “They are here every day. They never took off. They are part of the community.”
Douglas King, 75, who has lived nearby for over 35 years, said he felt very sad that Wong’s business was gone.
“It’s very sad. They are such sweet people,” he said.
James You, 45, who owns Greenwich Avenue Cleaners across the street, said business had generally been slow lately, and that the loss of another business was not good for the neighborhood.
“This area is slow. It’s very quiet. I feel sorry for them. Business has been slow around here and for this to happen is terrible,” he said.