A fire which broke out outside the iconic Carmine’s restaurant in New York's Times Square sent huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters battled to contain the blaze.
Staff the Italian restaurant as well as people in nearby buildings were evacuated on Friday morning after a manhole caught fire in front of Carmine’s at around 7am.
Shocking footage taken in West 44 Street show huge flames licking the side of Carmine’s restaurant, which said it would be closed for the day after the fire.
No one was injured as a result of the electrical fire, officials said.
A spokesman for Carmine’s posted on Facebook: “There was an electrical fire outside of Carmine's on West 44 Street Friday morning caused by an underground transformer.
“All our employees were quickly evacuated, are safe, and unharmed. We will be closed today, and are working as fast as possible to get the restaurant re-open.
“In the meantime, Carmine's Upper West Side and Virgil's Real BBQ Times Square are business as usual. We will keep all our guests informed of developments.”
