By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN — Four residents of a Midtown apartment building were taken to the hospital Monday morning after an electrical fire broke out in the building's basement, fire officials said.
The injured residents, all female, were complaining of smoke inhalation, according to Maryann Lienhard, manager of the Webster Apartments at 419 W. 34th St., a temporary residence for working women.
The FDNY said all four women were taken to Bellevue Hospital and were classified as having minor injuries.
Although the fire, which broke out at roughly 3 a.m., was contained to the basement, tenant Cheryl Pugh, 50, noted that she could smell the smoke from her apartment on the ninth floor.
"There was a lot of panic, but everyone did their job," said Pugh, referring to firefighters who extinguished the blaze.
Jade Copple, 20, a third-floor resident, said it was a chaotic scene as the fire alarm sounded and firemen knocked on doors, instructing women to leave their apartments.
"At first nobody knew it was real … and then everybody started panicking," Copple recalled.
She and a group of friends sought refuge in the nearby Skylight Diner.
"We were hanging out in that diner for like two hours in our pajamas," said Copple, adding that they were allowed back into the building about 5:30 a.m.
ConEd workers were drilling outside the apartments Monday morning, working to restore electricity and deal with a gas leak discovered by firefighters, according to a ConEd spokesperson.
Power was finally restored Monday afternoon, ConEd added, but the early-morning outage left many residents literally dressing in the dark.
"I was looking around my closet like, 'I hope this is red!'" Copple joked.
Gas service was not expected to resume immediately, and firefighters were on standby to address any issues related to the leak, the spokesperson added.
Residents and workers at the Webster Apartments, which was founded in 1923 by members of the Macy's family to support unmarried, working women, shuttled around the lobby Monday morning using candles and flashlights to guide their steps.
