Thousands of workers were evacuated from buildings near Penn Station when a Con Ed transformer caught fire Thursday.
Some 2,500 people were cleared out of several buildings after the smoky fire erupted near a construction site near 333 West 33rd St. near Ninth Avenue at 12:06 p.m., the Fire Department said.
Two people were hospitalized, and several others were treated for smoke inhalation.
People were still barred from 330 West 34th St, behind the fire scene, three hours after the blaze began because authorities detected high levels of carbon monoxide inside.
Many were sent home by their bosses.
"It was horrible," said Lisa Coleman, an administrative assistant on the building's 15th floor. "The smoke was so bad ... The fireman gave me his mask and we went down in the elevator."
Asked if she was scared, Coleman said: "Very much so — I have a heart condition."
Con Ed killed the power to some buildings in the area.
Republished with permission of The New York Post
