MANHATTAN — A transformer fire near Penn Station disrupted the 1, 2 and 3 subway lines and prompted firefighters to evacuate a nearby building, officials said.
A transformer burst into flames just before noon near Seventh Avenue and 33rd Street and filled the subway platform with smoke, the FDNY said.
A woman who had been on the platform was taken to Roosevelt hospital and treated for smoke inhalation, a fire chief on the scene said.
"There was a lot of fire coming out of the grate — a lot of black smoke," said a nearby pizzeria worker, Nelson Jones, 57.
Jones heard a large sound from below ground and he saw police officers who were nearby at the time clear pedestrians from the area.
The 1, 2 and 3 trains were bypassing Penn Station so that firefighters could bring the flames under control, the MTA said.
Firefighters also evacuated 431 Seventh Ave. because they detected elevated levels of carbon monoxide, an FDNY spokesman said.
They were allowed back into the building about 1:30 p.m. when the gas levels returned to normal, a fire chief said.