That Burned-Out SUV on Broome Street

This time it wasn’t a bee swarm that had Little Italy gawking over the weekend.

Walking west on Broome Street just past noon on Saturday, we wondered why the traffic was so atypically brutal.  From a distance, orange cones could be seen blocking the lane outside of the highly-photogenic fire house at 363 Broome (Engine 55).  Upon reaching the area, we realized why – an SUV that resembled a toasted Stay-Puft marshmallow.

At first glace, we looked around to make sure it wasn’t a prop for an upcoming film shoot. No, no.  This was the real deal.  A traffic cop on hand informed us that the car conveniently burst into flames right in front of the fire station.  The firefighters ran outside to extinguish the flames, and this was all that remained.  Beautiful in that creepy sort of way.

The scene made for great photography, and the rubberneckers – cars and pedestrians alike – further contributed to the congestion in Little Italy.  Thankfully no one was reported injured in the incident.