Fire Shuts Down Power at CBS Building in Midtown: FDNY

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A fire in the basement of the CBS headquarters in Midtown resulted in a loss of power for the building. The electrical fire broke out in the basement of 51 W. 52nd St. just before 6 a.m. on Thursday, according to the FDNY. It was brought under control at about 9 a.m. and no one was injured, an official said.

Con Ed was called in to shut off power to the 38-story skyscraper on the corner of 52nd Street and Sixth Avenue, a fire official said. The official said generators were being brought in to keep power flowing to the building.

The building is just the company headquarters for CBS, as the nearby CBS Broadcast Center houses CBS News' studios.

The building, known as Black Rock, was built in 1965 and used to house WCBS Radio. But they moved out in 2000. TV operations are run from the CBS Broadcast Center on 57th Street and CBS-owned radio stations now operate out of a building in Hudson Square.

Con Ed did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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