MIDTOWN — A dozen people were evacuated from an East Midtown block Friday after an underground electrical fire broke out at a construction site where an extensive water main project is underway, officials and witnesses said.
No injuries were reported, but the gas lines near the site of the blaze on First Avenue and 59th Street were shut down to prevent any further damage or injuries, said FDNY Deputy Chief Tom McKavanagh.
Officials were also planning to shut down power to the block to make repairs.
One witness, who was waiting to get his car out of a nearby parking garage, said he saw sparks and smoke billowing out of the ground starting at around 2:15 p.m.
"The more scary part was the explosions," he said.
Traffic slowed to a crawl as cars navigated around a line of emergency vehicles and Con Edison trucks, as well as a cluster of onlookers.
Reginald Giordani said he wasn't aware of the explosion until the lights inside the gym he manages began to flicker.
"I thought first it was our circuit," he said. "And then someone told me, 'No, there's smoke outside.'"
Giordani said the water main project, which is expected to affect his block for three years, has cost him business.
"It's been impacting me every since it started," Giordani said. "We've lost a lot of members."
