by WIL CRUZ, TANANGACHI MFUNI and LEO STANDORA
Thick smoke filled the lobby of the James A. Farley Post Office in midtown on Tuesday night, forcing the always-open mail center to close.
Deputy Fire Chief John Bley said the source of the smoke was a fire in four "heavy duty electrical cables under the entrance staircase."
A water hose was stretched into the sprawling structure on Eighth Ave. between 31st and 33rd Sts., but Bley said the fire went out by itself before his men got there.
About 30 employees and customers were evacuated.
The post office, usually open around the clock seven days a week, remained shut into the early morning as firefighters stood watch, waiting for Con Ed workers to make repairs.
 |
