Little Italy Fire Destroys Historic Restaurant: Report

LITTLE ITALY, NY — A massive fire caused by carelessly discarded smoking products destroyed much of the historic Angelo's restaurant on Saturday, according to fire officials and media reports.

The blaze, which broke out at 146 Mulberry St. at about 7:40 a.m. on Saturday, injured 13 people, an FDNY spokesman said. None of the injures were life-threatening, he said.

The fire was caused by the "careless discard of smoking materials," and started on the first or second floor of the six-story building, the FDNY spokesman said.

The building houses Angelo's and five stories of apartments above it. Multiple tenants were displaced by the fire, which destroyed or badly damaged parts of their homes. The Red Cross of New York was not immediately able to provide an exact estimate of how many residents were displaced.

The co-owners of the historic restaurant, Teresa and Rino Aprea, told the New York Post that Angelo's could be closed for up to six months while the damage was repaired.

The restaurant opened in 1902, according to its website, and is the oldest restaurant in Little Italy, according to the New York Times. Angelo's famously draws celebrities and other big names to dine out on Mulberry Street, and has counted everyone from Ronald Reagan to Kobe Bryant as guests.

A phone call and email message to Angelo's were not immediately returned on Tuesday morning.

The restaurant's managers said in a post on Facebook that "Angelo's will be back stronger than ever," but did not offer details on the damage.

Image credit: Courtesy of the FDNY