GREENWICH — A fire heavily damaged a two-story commercial building at Indian Field Plaza in Cos Cob late Monday night.

The fire broke out at about 11 p.m. at the plaza located at 522 E. Putnam Ave. that houses The Pizza Post, Gofer Ice Cream, a salon and nail boutique.

The businesses will not be opening Tuesday as the fire marshal’s office sifts through the building to find clues as to how the blaze started, Deputy Fire Chief Brian Koczak said.

“There was heavy damage to the first and second floors and smoke damage to the entire building,” Koczak said.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze by a police officer on patrol at about 11 p.m. who saw smoke coming from the building, Koczak said.

Firefighters arrived to find fire showing on the first and second floor of the building, which houses several businesses, he said.

There was no one inside the building when firefighters arrived, and there were no civilian or firefighter injuries, Koczak said.

It took 50 to 60 Greenwich firefighters about 35 minutes to get the blaze under control, Koczak said.

The damage to the building was extensive, he said.

“The building is not habitable at this point,” Koczak said.

The Fire Marshal’s Office and two engines were still at the scene as of 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The Pizza Post is one of Greenwich’s popular restaurants. “The Post” has been a family-run business since 1971, owned and operated by brothers Joe and Matt Criscuolo.

On Tuesday morning, workers were going through their businesses, assessing the damage.

Jay Ragusa of Gofer Ice Cream said it was a relief that no one was injured. “We should be able to open fairly soon,” he said, as the fire did not cause extensive damage to his business. He heard of the blaze from an employee and rushed over to the building.

“Flames shooting out. It was a tough night,” he said. “And it could have been worse.https://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Greenwich-fire-heavily-damages-building-at-Indian-14552240.php#photo-18480608