by Rocco Vertuccio
Three firefighters were hurt and several businesses were destroyed Wednesday by a three-alarm fire in the East Village.
Investigators say the fire broke out just after 10 a.m. on the roof of a one-story building on East 14th Street near Avenue A and took more than an hour to contain.
Flames started in the Pete's-A-Place pizzeria, and then spread rapidly from the ceiling into a convenience store, a hair salon and a Jackson Hewitt tax preparation office.
Three firefighters received minor injuries, but no major injuries were reported.
"Everything is gone, everything is gone it's just wiped out. It's just gutted, my whole life is gone," said business owner Reena Mohamed.
"It's really not the businesses themselves but the construction of the building they're in," said Fire Department Deputy Chief James Donlevy. "These buildings are notorious for fire spreading quickly and usually it's a catch-up game and that's all we had here."
Fire officials say it was sparked by a welder working inside the pizza restaurant.
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