MANHATTAN — A yellow cab burst into flames on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Monday afternoon, officials said.
The cab was stopped at the side of the road outside 435 Fifth Ave., near East 39th Street, when it started smoking about 1:33 p.m., according to a witness and an FDNY spokesman.
"It was smoking. It looked like a cab that was overheated. First it was smoking and then I went into a store and I grabbed an extinguisher, but it was too late," said Alfredo Sandoval, who was passing through the area.
"It exploded like three or four times," added Sandoval, who recorded the fire.
Firefighters were still trying to bring the blaze under control as of 4:40 p.m., the spokesman said.
"Many folks were filming and a lot of folks were very concerned," Sandoval said of the crowd of onlookers like him who gathered around.
It wasn't immediately clear what sparked the fire, FDNY officials said.
There were no reported injuries, officials said.
