Financial District Fire Evacuates Office Building: FDNY

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NY — An early-morning basement fire forced a Financial District office building that houses several city agencies to close on Friday, officials said. The fire sparked in an electrical room at 110 William St. around 4:30 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said.

The building was evacuated, but the flames were confined to the basement and were under control just after 8 a.m., the spokesman said. Sixty firefighters responded to the scene, he said.

The 31-story tower's tenants include the city's Economic Development Corporation, the Independent Budget Office and the Department of Small Business Services.

The building has been closed for the day, possibly because of the need to clear carbon monoxide out of the basement, IBO communications director Doug Turetsky said. Staff hope to reopen the building tomorrow, he said.

The fire emanated from a piece of Con Edison equipment called a network protector, said Allan Drury, a spokesman for the utility. The building's power will be cut later Friday morning so repairs can be made, he said.

"We’re on the scene troubleshooting," Drury said. "We’re not sure what caused the fire."

The FDNY's response to the fire had closed parts of William and John streets to traffic as of about 7:30 a.m., according to the Office of Emergency Management.

(Lead image from Google Maps)