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Suspicious Coney Island Arcade Fire Kills Beloved Cat
By
John Del Signore
Published May 6, 2010
Modified May 6, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 6, 2010
Modified May 6, 2010
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Firefighters battled a 2-alarm fire at the Coney Island Arcade around 8:15 last night; according to a preliminary report, the blaze is being described as "suspicious." At one point the flames grew so intense that all of the firefighters were ordered out of the building due to the fear of a building collapse. According to Amusing the Zillion, the operator of the arcade and adjoining games is currently in China attending an amusement expo, and many people in the neighborhood were concerned about the two famous cats that live in the arcade, Target and Targette.
Target escaped the fire, but his sister Targette didn't make it. The firemen found her in the office where she probably died of smoke inhalation, Amusing the Zillion reports. The extent of the damage to the arcade building is unclear, but one witness believes that it will have to be demolished. It's located on the corner of West 12th St and the Bowery, next to the Coney Island Bank Building, which is owned by widely despised "developer" Joe Sitt. (The arcade is not owned by Sitt.)
Last month ScoutingNY posted a gorgeous photo tour of the of the 1923 bank building, which, rumor has it, Sitt wants to demolish. Witnesses said the bank building was not damaged by the arcade fire. And yes, there is a band called Arcade Fire, but they have yet to comment on last night's blaze. In the meantime, here's that great video of them playing "Neon Bible" in an elevator. Enjoy, and pour one out for Targette:
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arcade fire
brooklyn
coney island
fire
targette
video
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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