Crime & Safety

Midtown Fire Breaks Out In 8th Avenue High-Rise, FDNY Says

Three people were reported injured, an FDNY spokesman said.

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Three people were injured in a fire that broke out Monday afternoon in a Midtown Manhattan office building, an FDNY spokesman said.

The blaze broke out in the basement of 520 Eighth Ave., located between West 36th and 37th streets, shortly after 3:30 p.m. when a commercial transformer caught fire, an FDNY spokesman said. Firefighters arrived at the 26-story office tower withing three minutes of the call, the spokesman said.

The fire was placed under control just before 6 p.m., fire officials said.

Find out what's happening in Midtown-Hell's Kitchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Smoke and traffic delays were reported in the area near the fire, New York City Emergency Management announced. People near the fire should close their windows and try to avoid the smoke, emergency management announced.

An FDNY spokesman could not confirm the conditions of the three people who were injured.

Find out what's happening in Midtown-Hell's Kitchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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