Newark City Hall Evacuated After Underground Fire: Officials

NEWARK, NJ — An underground electrical fire on Franklin Street in Newark forced the evacuation of City Hall and a police facility on Tuesday night. The lingering effects of the fire – including power outages – were still being felt Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The Newark Department of Public Safety provided the following statement about the fire on Wednesday:

“At approximately 9:52 p.m. last night, firefighters responded to 22 Franklin Street, which is adjacent to City Hall, due to smoky conditions. They found that an electrical grid had caught fire and burned itself out. The building has been evacuated until further notice. There have been no injuries reported.”

As of Wednesday morning, Newark City Hall and the building at 22 Franklin Street have no power. PSE&G has been notified of the condition and the Newark Fire Division is investigating, authorities said.

Newark city officials issued a Wednesday update on the situation:

“Due to a transformer fire on Franklin Street, City Hall has been left without power and will be closed today. There are no elevators or access to computers. All other city buildings are open and functioning. Police, fire, courts and other public safety services are operating normally and have not been interrupted. We will notify you when further information becomes available.”

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