Fire Forces Evacuations of Downtown Philadelphia [View All]

[charlie and algernon]

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- An underground transformer caught fire Thursday, forcing evacuations at two downtown office buildings, authorities said.

Several hundred office workers were milling around the area near City Hall after the two nearby buildings were evacuated.

The area is near a subway and commuter rail station, but the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority said those services were running normally.

Authorities also closed streets in a 25-square-block area.

There were no reports of injuries, police Capt. Thomas Helker said.

Messages left for the fire department and the local electric utility were not immediately returned.


edit to add: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/21/philadelphia.fire.ap/index.html