Fire destroys comic Martin's flat

Perrier-winner Demetri Martin’s New York apartment has been gutted by a major fire.

More than 120 firefighters attended the blaze that struck his six-storey building in in Manhattan’s West Village yesterday afternoon.

Martin was away from his flat when the fire broke out, and came back to find emergency services on the scene.

‘I saw large orange flames coming from the back of my floor, and black smoke,’ the comedian told the local CBS News.

‘I wove my way through these fire trucks and when I came to the front I saw firemen going in through my bedroom window and a large hose going through it.’

The blaze was brought under control but residents of the 24 flats in the block were not allowed back in, and received aid from the Red Cross.

Click here to see Martin, a regular on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, describe the blaze to TV reporters.

Published: 10 Jan 2006