From WSJ.com:

A three-alarm fire at Pier 96 on Manhattan’s West Side has sent billowing clouds of black smoke into the air, prompting calls from concerned New Yorkers as far away as Central Park.

At 3:27 p.m. Saturday, firefighters were called to the pier at 12th Avenue and 57th Street, according to spokesman for the Fire Department. Some 33 fire units and 138 firefighters were called to the scene.

No injuries were reported as of yet.

The fire seemed to have been sparked at a sanitation plant on the pier, the Fire Department said. It later spread to other parts of the pier.

Strong afternoon winds has caused the thick black smoke to spread all over the surrounding area. The Fire Department said it received calls about the smoke from areas like Central Park and from a nearby pier where a Norwegian cruise ship is docked.

Three firefighters were sent to the hospital with minor injuries after responding to the fire. The Fire Department says the blaze was still being brought under control more than 3 hours after it was reported Saturday afternoon.

Fire officials are checking the stability of the pier after wooden parts of the structure and trailers filled with garbage went up in flames.

The city Sanitation Department didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

Accidental most likely, but given the propensity of radicals to set fires you never know.