Manhole Fire Spreads to Car, Eyed in New York City Building Fire

A Thanksgiving Day electrical fire that started in a manhole on a Brooklyn street quickly engulfed a vehicle parked above it — then caused flames to erupt in a fourth-floor apartment in a nearby building, FDNY officials said Thursday.

The two-alarm blaze began in a manhole on Remsen St. near Hicks St. in Brooklyn Heights around noon and consumed a silver Subaru SUV parked nearby, FDNY Deputy Chief Stephen Corcoran said.

“We were in the process of suppressing the flames beneath the car and also checking the surrounding properties for carbon monoxide or any extension into the buildings,” said Corcoran at the scene. “At that point fire broke out on the fourth floor of [a] building.”

The FDNY said 25 units responded to the 12:05 p.m. fire, with 106 fire and EMS personnel on scene. No injuries were reported.

Three hours later, operations were still ongoing, and a cause for the initial electrical fire had yet to be determined.

“The cause of the fire in the building, which we’re assuming is correlated to the electrical fire in the street, is still under investigation,” said Corcoran.

Electrical fires are especially difficult to put out, said Corcoran, and firefighters had to wait for Con Edison to arrive and shut off power to the building.

Extensive fire damage occurred in the fourth-floor unit, and occupants weren’t able to return Thursday.

Three buildings were evacuated, one due to the fire and two because high amounts of carbon monoxide were detected.

“We are going to remain on the scene until those carbon monoxide levels are reduced to zero,” said Corcoran, adding that once the levels were safe residents could return to the buildings undamaged by the blaze.

While the fire ruined Thanksgiving plans for dozens of residents, at least one family forced to evacuate had something to be grateful for.

“It’s an extremely distressing situation but especially on a holiday like Thanksgiving,” said Corcoran. “We were able to go in and save their Thanksgiving dinner and pack up their food for them and give it them so they could take it to a relative’s house and enjoy it there.”

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