Hundreds Flee Fire in N.Y. High-Rise
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NEW YORK — A smoky fire erupted Friday on the 11th floor of a Manhattan high-rise office building in the heart of the financial district, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of employees, authorities said.
A firefighter who was stricken by heat exhaustion was the only person injured in the blaze at the 17-story Royal Insurance Building.
Fire Department Chief of Operations Homer Bishop said the fire may have been caused by an electrical malfunction, possibly in an air conditioning unit in the 11th- floor offices of Agudath Israel, a nonprofit Jewish organization.
Employees there first noticed smoke pouring from the ceiling and vents of three storage rooms and notified the Fire Department.
The 200 employees working in the organization’s 11th- and 12th-floor offices were evacuated immediately, and the entire building was eventually emptied before the fire was brought under control.
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