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Lexington Ave. Reopens After Car Sets Off Building Fire

By Jess Wisloski | July 7, 2012 5:16pm
A fire on Lexington Avenue set a building aflame in
A fire on Lexington Avenue set a building aflame in
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MIDTOWN — A high-rise caught fire after a car explosion lit up the building next to it, just after noon Saturday, witnesses and fire officials said.

A video shows fast-moving flames shooting out of a station wagon in front of 140 East 56th St., just moments before a loud explosion can be heard 1:07 minutes into the video, and debris can be seen shooting off the car in the footage shot by Twitvid user Nikhil Abraham.

The call for the fire came in at 12:06 p.m., and the FDNY said just as they were responding, the flames shot upward to the second floor of the 15-story tower.

The FDNY had 20 units on the scene, and 80 firefighters to put out the flames, said a fire spokesman, and the fire was put under control by 1:03 p.m, the FDNY said, and no injuries were sustained.

The Office of Emergency Management said that Lexington Avenue and East 57th Street were reopened to traffic around 2:30 p.m.