I spoke with the pizza place folks last night at the scene and they said it wasn't from them. Their vent runs off the back of the building. They were pointing to the "Chinese restaurant" by which I think they meant Pho King which is a Vietnamese restaurant whose vent, they suggested, went up the front. I have no proof of anything. Just sharing the distinction the La Familigia folks shared. — s on Sifting Through the Ashes

As we are right across and just above the building on Murray, what I found most interesting is that with the fire breaking through the roof, as plainly visible in all the photos, FDNY never threw water onto the roof. There were plenty of firefighters up there sawing through the roof to vent, etc., but they just let the fire burn and never threw water on the roof. That led me to think it mainly electrical, but now sounds like it's not the case. Asked a firefighter this morning if he knew why but he demurred. This one has me scratching my head - why wouldn't they have put water on the roof fire? Anyone know why that would be the case? — BobR on Sifting Through the Ashes

Per Tribeca Trib, on the 24 Murray Street fire: "In an email sent out Friday night, Lynn Ellsworth, president of the preservation group Tribeca Trust, mourned what she called a 'tragic loss for Tribeca.' The 1851 building, she wrote, 'was one of the last ‘ordinary’ store and loft buildings from the Civil War that stood outside our historic district borders.'” — James on Seen & Heard: Tribeca Trust Is Suing the LPC

The fire marshal should investigate for its report to see what else was wrong in the CIDS that may have hindered or hampered the FD response and contributed to the severity of the blaze. (These reports are eventually available under the Freedom of Information Law.) — James on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

No. It's possibly the fault of the local FDNY company, i.e., firehouse personnel, for not doing a proper annual Building Inspection and/or not updating the CIDS. Per http://www.fdnewyork.com/terms.asp : "The Critical Information Dispatch System (CIDS) was invented to provide fire fighters with information that might be helpful while operating at a fire scene. While companies are out on building inspection they make note of special conditions that can affect their operation. Typical entries contain the height, dimensions, occupancy, and construction of the building; the location of standpipes; the location of hazardous materials stored within; or any other critical information." For example, NBC News' website said, "Fire officials said if they hadn't arrived in time, the fire could have been devastating because they believe there is ammunition in the basement, possibly from a target range." — James on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

Per the Daily News, "The fire started inside the ducts of a restaurant on the ground floor of a five-story building on Murray St. near Church St. around 6:30 p.m., according to the FDNY." It appears it is a pizza restaurant on the ground floor. Typically pizza restaurants may not be required, unlike other restaurants, to have their type of cooking vents cleaned periodically. (See 2014 NYC Mechanical Code Section 506.) A memorandum by the NYC Department of Buildings to FDNY from 1990 states, "No fire suppression system is required in the hood of a pizza oven." See https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/cn3.pdf The ostensible reason is that they are only venting heat and moisture from cooking pizza, but there may be flammable grease from all the toppings, etc. Maybe these codes and policies should be changed. — James on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

Correct, the shooting range closed years ago. — Kim Leegstra on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

Most news outlets are making a big deal about how fortunate it is that the fire didn't reach the shooting range in the basement. Well, as we all know, there hasn't been a shooting range there for years. It is the now closed Remix nightclub. This lack of fact-checking does make me wonder about the credibility of the MSM. — Makes You Go Hmmm... on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

I live close by. My pets and I were evacuated and the staff and owner of the restaurant downstairs helped me get my pets to a friends place at the Seaport. When I left at about 9 pm there was heavy smoke in the halls of the building and articles were stating at that point that 11 firefighters had been injured. I hope they are all recovering well and that no more injuries occurred. The building engulfed in flames in the photo is a commercial building so I am confident that articles about it being empty at the time of the fire are true. — Kim Leegstra on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

FDNY just re-tweeted that it's a 6 alarm fire but under control: https://mobile.twitter.com/FDNYAlerts/status/903800674747641856 — Darin on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

NotifyNYC just texted that it's now a 5 alarm fire. — Makes You Go Hmmm... on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

Looks deliberate. Maybe to get insurance or pull out — Sandra on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

Gee, I wonder if the developer will be able to rebuild market rate apartments to the maximum FAR? — Michael Jonze on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

4 alarm fire at 24 Murray, in the shaft area — mruptight on Five-Alarm Fire at Murray and Church

Back in Merrie Olde England they utilized a device called The Gibbet. The culprit was placed in a man-sized cage which was then hoisted up over a tree limb near the outskirts of town. The blaggard then died a slow, lingering death due to starvation, thirst and the elements while serving as an excellent object lesson to whoever else might be harboring thoughts of malevolent deeds. Passersby were free to pummel the cur with whatever droppings might be found by the wayside in order to lend gaiety to the game. We need to take a page from history in regard to this piece of self-propelled garbage. — P. Biduscone" on In the News: Remembering George Carroll

http://nypost.com/2017/08/31/suspect-arrested-for-killing-husband-in-front-of-wife/ A teen suspected of fatally stabbing a Brooklyn man in front of the victim’s wife two weeks ago was arrested on Thursday — just blocks from the crime scene. Gary Correa, 19, had been on the run from police, but seems to have been hiding in plain sight. He was caught a short stroll from where George Carroll, 42, was knifed outside McGolrick Park in Greenpoint on Aug. 18, cops say. Police officers arrested Correa, who lives in the nearby Bushwick Houses, as he was walking on Norman Avenue between Dobbin and Guernsey streets. Carroll, a 42-year-old actor, was with his wife, Christina Romero Carroll, 41, walking to their home on Monitor Street when Correa allegedly stabbed him. Police say Correa attacked Carroll after the two exchanged words on Monitor Street near ­Driggs Avenue. [...] Correa has 13 prior arrests, including for grand larceny, armed robbery, burglary and criminal possession of marijuana, according to police sources. He was charged on Thursday night with murder in the second degree. — James on In the News: Remembering George Carroll

Building on Northwest corner of Hudson & Beach Streets, Beach Street side. Can't remember number. — Robert Ripps on Where in Tribeca…?

Rational thought & common sense, sadly, have no place in identity politics (on every side). It is a scorched earth mentality that only further drives a wedge into our society because no middle ground is allowed. — Jeff on Seen & Heard: Activity at the Former Don Hills

It was inevitable that the widespread embrace of black identity politics in our society would lead to the emergence of white identity politics. Hence President Trump. Getting tired of "checking your privilege" is not the same as wanting that "everyone else should get back down where they belong." — lowrider on Seen & Heard: Activity at the Former Don Hills

My facility was quite intentional. Unless we ask the wearer what he meant by wearing that, we do not know what he meant by it, and were are just presuming. Perhaps he was tired of "dead white European males" being vilified. Perhaps he was being ironic. Someone please ask him. — Marcus on Seen & Heard: Activity at the Former Don Hills

The other two rules are far easier to comply with: * 80 percent of the total square footage of the co-op building must be used or be available for use by (residential) tenant-shareholders; or, * 90 percent of the expenses of the corporation must be spent for the benefit of shareholders. If one's co-op has not figured out in 10 years (!) how to comply with either of these rules, it may be time for one to select a new board president or managing agent. — James on The Desertification of Street-Level Tribeca

80-20 is STILL one of three possible tests that a co-op must pass to pass-through tax deductions. Depending on the co-op, if they can't pass one of the other two, they may be forced to comply with 80-20. — Makes You Go Hmmm... on The Desertification of Street-Level Tribeca

I would be very interested in leasing in Tribeca for my business but the rents are just WAY TOO high to make it realistic. Ultimately, rents will need to come down but it seems like it will take a while given how slow the movement is. But with more space coming on-line from new developments and the already high supply, a tipping point may be near. — Jj on The Desertification of Street-Level Tribeca

Those rules were relaxed in late 2007. The last of the 10-year leases affected (with deflated rents) should be expiring shortly. — James on The Desertification of Street-Level Tribeca

Soho Pediatric FYI - An Update on Office Closure Dear Patients, Due to the high volume of requests for patient records and forms, we are extending the office hours from Tues Sept 5 - Fri Sept 8th. Hours 9 - 4 pm Due to the high volume of requests for medical records and forms we have extended the hours. If you have not filled out a medical release form. Please visit sohopediatricgroup.com/ to download and fill out the medical release form before you arrive at the office. You may put all of your children's names on one form. (Please do not email release form!) We are doing our best to meet the thousands of requests and extended the days to pick up files for families who have been away and unable to pick up their records. We will print your records when you bring your form into the office. There will be a short wait so you might want to have a cup of coffee or just plan on waiting for a moment. This closing was unexpected and to say the least a surprise for everyone involved. Please understand we are working hard to meet everyone's needs during this unplanned transition. Please share with friends who may not be on FaceBook or received an email. Sincerely, Marie B. Keith,MD Copyright © 2017 Soho Pediatrics, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: sohopedgroup@gmail.com — James on Seen & Heard: Rumors of a New School