HUDSON SQUARE — A Canal Street building basement burst into flames Monday afternoon in what may have been an extension of a manhole fire, the FDNY said.
The fire broke out shortly after 1 p.m. at 499 Canal St. and took nearly an hour-and-a-half to bring under control, the FDNY said. No injuries were reported.
Gas and electric crews from Con Edison were also on the scene as officials worked to determine the cause of the blaze, they said. An FDNY spokesman said it looked to be an extension of an eletrical fire or an issue related to a nearby manhole.
Bernard Colletti, who oversees the construction crew working on the building next door, said the fire appeared to have started in the manhole that sits directly in front of both buildings. The FDNY
“There was a manhole fire. You could see the flames coming out of it,” he said. “They were pretty high — about four to five feet. As soon as I saw it, we evacuated our building.”
The four-story mixed used building houses two apartments, an office for Distinctive Window Treatment Plus and a retail space on the ground floor.
