Manhole Fire Near Queensboro Bridge Leads To Building Evacuations
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A manhole fire on Manhattan's East Side by the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge caused dark, billowing smoke and led to precautionary evacuations at seven buildings earlier Friday.
CBS 2's Derricke Dennis was live at the scene and reported that workers hit a gas line and some electrical lines while working on a trench around 3 p.m. Friday. That caused an explosion that came up through a manhole.
The fire was eventually put out.
The buildings that were evacuated included 322, 324, 238, 330 334, and 336 on East 59th Street. Fire crews and the police department were on the scene trying to get the situation under control. There were no injuries.
A fire official says there does not appear to be any immediate danger because of the fire between First and Second avenues.
That part of Manhattan is heavily residential. The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge spans the East River to Queens.
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