'One of the most scariest experiences of my life': Fire fills luxury building with smoke

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Smoke filled the hallway inside a luxury high-rise tower at 2 Gold Street in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday, the result of a late-night fire.  

Tenants say they recognized the sound of the elevator dinging repeatedly but did not hear a traditional fire alarm in the hallway or inside their apartments. 

“It didn’t seem like it. But they handled it well. The fire department came, and everybody was very communicative. The problem was the smoke was outside, and it came back inside, and it filled up the shafts and stuff. So, it was um, it was adventurous, and we were out here three hours,” said Mike, whose daughter was in their apartment at the time of the fire.  

We met Donna Thursday as she went to pick up her son, who lives in the building. 

“He told me there was no smoke alarms.” “Yes, yes – something exploded with the HVAC,” said Donna. 

Fortunately, there are no reports of any injuries. 

Fire marshals were on the scene Thursday. 

Fire officials told PIX11 News the exact cause of the fire, and the functionality of the building’s fire alarm system are both under investigation. Serve-Pro cleanup crews also spent the day at the luxury building, where a one-bedroom apartment rents for almost $4,800 a month. 

But late Thursday afternoon, building management sent tenants an update, assuring them the building is fire-proof, its fire system is up to code, and working properly. 

“This system does not include, or require, a public address system to notify all occupants throughout the building. The fire alarm devices in proximity to the fire annunciated at the front desk and simultaneously notified the central monitoring station as designed.” 

“It was one of the most scariest experiences of my life,” said Coleen.