There’s nothing more beautiful and peaceful than a running waterfall, but I think we can all agree that there’s a time and a place for it – and 12:00 p.m. on W43rd St in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC isn’t the right time or place. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what NYC residents experienced earlier this week.
An Unexpected Waterfall Appears In NYC
On Thursday (April 4), a video posted to the Citizen App showed a massive amount of water spewing out of a window of The Ellery – a 400,000-square foot, mixed-use development located at the vibrant confluence of Midtown and Hell’s Kitchen.
Several videos were uploaded to social media as residents tried to figure out what was going on – but no one could explain it. An article by NBC New York said it ‘looked like a geyser erupting from the side of the building.’
The Incident Lasted About 30 Minutes
The ‘waterfall’ started around 12:00 p.m. (noon) and lasted about 30 minutes. During that time, hundreds of gallons of water gushed out the side of the building and was dumped onto the block between 8th and 9th Ave.
New photos and videos, taken by W42ST, show several large houses being pointed out of a window on the 22nd floor of the luxury rental residential offering at 312 West 43rd Street in Manhattan. Still, no one had an explanation as to what was going on.
FDNY Confirmed Reports Of Leak With No Injuries
The FDNY eventually released a statement clarifying that they were responding to a report of a leak in the building. Luckily, no injuries were reported, and the event turned out to be harmless (and, perhaps most importantly, controlled).
The Department of Buildings further clarified that ‘scheduled fire pump tests were conducted on 19th and 32nd floor of the building construction project.’ As part of those fire pump tests, officials had to send water out of the building.
What Is A Fire Pump Test?
Fire pumps are an integral part of any fire sprinkler system. The fire pump test, also known as a flow test, measures the fire pump’s pressure and flow. It’s an annual test required by NFPA 25 that ensures the pump is ready to respond to a call.
As reported by ABC7 NY, fire pump tests ‘usually occur at night, but this one occurred during the day in part as most of the water was planned to land within the property boundaries.’ The water ended up landing ‘behind the construction fence and did not require a street.’
Building Passed Fire Pump Test
Don’t worry – the Department of Buildings was on scene the entire time and they had everything under control. In fact, the ‘man-made waterfall’ is a standard part of the new development inspection process and doesn’t pose a threat to residents.
Not only were no injuries reported, but The Ellery building passed the fire pump test – which is a crucial step in the development process. Some residents were a little concerned that they weren’t warned, but there was apparently no danger to warn them about.
Michael Munoz Has Never Seen Anything Like It
Michael Munoz, a successful food blogger, culinary emcee, and food writer who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, was one of the many residents who witnessed the window waterfall on Thursday morning – and he was dumbfounded.
“I’ve lived in New York my entire life and in this neighborhood for 15 years and I’ve never seen anything like this. It was the new W43rd Street waterfall!” he said in an interview with W42ST. He further clarified that he lives across the street, so he had quite the view!
Never A Dull Moment In Hell’s Kitchen
Hell’s Kitchen, formerly known as Clinton, is a neighborhood in Manhattan – just west of Times Square – that’s best known as a hub for LGBTQ+ residents and businesses. It’s home to some of the best food in NYC and there’s plenty of entertainment to enjoy.
With that said, most residents agree that there’s never a dull moment in Hell’s Kitchen. Some of those moments are better than others, but let’s take a look at some of the headlines coming out of Hell’s Kitchen lately.
July 2023: NYC Crane Collapse Injures 12 People
In July 2023, a majority of Hell’s Kitchen was cordoned off after a crane caught fire above the construction site at 550 10th Avenue and the headquarters of Covenant House. The fire was eventually escalated to a five-alarm incident.
Things turned dire when the crane’s boom and its 16-ton load collapsed into 10th Avenue between W40th and W41st Street. Officials reported as many as 12 injuries as debris started raining down onto the street – where cars and pedestrians were going about their day.
First Deputy Fire Commissioner Reacts To Crane Fire
“A crane operator was operating the crane, lifting 16 tons of concrete, when he saw the fire and tried to extinguish it. So we give a lot of credit to the crane operator, but the fire overwhelmed the operator and he had to exit the crane,” said First Deputy Fire Commissioner Joe Pfeifer.
Mayor Eric Adams arranged a press conference almost immediately and said the situation could’ve been much worse – especially when they saw how much debris was on the ground. More than 200 firefighters and EMS personnel were involved in the recovery.
February 11: Two People Injured In Highrise Fire
Speaking of fires, two people were injured on February 11 when a 14-story building at 650 W. 42nd St. between 11th and 12th caught on fire. It broke out on the seventh floor, but was quickly extinguished and mitigated.
The cause of the fire was unclear, but 78 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the scene, and the two injured residents were transported to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. Again, the incident could’ve been much worse.
February 25: Excavation At 354-360 West 52nd Street
Towards the end of February, outlets started reporting that excavation and early foundation work had begun on a new highrise building at 354-360 West 52nd Street in Hell’s Kitchen. The new building is set to be a seven-story residential condo tower.
“An anticipated completion date for 354-360 West 52nd Street has yet to be announced, but YIMBY expects construction to wrap up sometime next year. A list of residential amenities has also yet to be disclosed,” Michael Young wrote in an article published by YIMBY.
April 5: Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake Hits Hell’s Kitchen
More recently, the Hell’s Kitchen community experienced something they don’t get to witness too often – an earthquake. The United States Geological Survey estimated it to be a 4.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred at 10:23 a.m. on April 5.
“I was laying in my bed, and my whole apartment building just started shaking. And I freaked out, I was like, what’s happening? I’ve never felt an earthquake before in my life, so it was very scary,” said one resident. “My whole bed shook, everything shook.”
