Underground Fire Shutters 48th Street Between 5th & 6th Avenues

MIDTOWN, NY — Burnt out electrical equipment sparked an underground fire Monday morning that injured one and shuttered a stretch of West 48th Street for nearly four hours, officials said.

The Fire Department received a call about a basement fire at 592 Fifth Avenue at 4:06 a.m., said FDNY. The blaze was sparked by equipment known as a "feeder" — which conveys electrical currents to smaller wires —"burning out," according to a Con Edison spokesman.

One civilian was taken to a nearby hospital for non-life threatening injuries, FDNY said.

Police shuttered West 48th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues as Con Edison crews worked to repair the feeder, authorities said. All lanes of traffic on West 48th Street were reopened at 7:04 a.m., police said.

Photo courtesy of David Allen