MIDTOWN — Four people were injured after a fire broke out at a Midtown construction site Tuesday morning, according to a Fire Department spokesman.
The blaze started at 390 Madison Ave., at East 47th Street, just after 8 a.m., when a transformer in the basement caught fire, sending four construction workers to area hospitals with minor injuries, according to the spokesman.
Firefighters got the flames under control by 10:45 a.m., the spokesman said.
The fire sent smoke pouring into the street and at least one nearby business, according to a bartender at Connolly’s, which sits next-door to the worksite, where developers are rebuilding an office tower.
Connolly’s was open for business on Tuesday morning but the fire next-door sent smoke into the bar for a time until firefighters managed to get the blaze under control, said the bartender, who only identified himself as Jimmy.
“I got off the train and you couldn’t see for the smoke,” he said. “The air conditioner was off for a while, the TV still is, and it kept setting off smoke alarms.”
Work at 390 Madison appeared to be on hold following the fire as inspectors checked out the worksite.
Representatives of Tishman Construction, which is working on the project, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Construction workers on the scene declined to comment.
