A series of manhole fires in midtown Manhattan on Saturday forced the evacuation of a theatre complex where performances of plays including Jersey Boys and Avenue Q were underway.
No injuries were reported from the manhole fires at around 8 p.m. at West 50th Street near Eighth Avenue.
But a representative for the theatre complex New World Stages said patrons were evacuated as a precaution.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt,” said Michael Coco, senior director of theatre operations for the Shubert Organization.
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The plays that were cancelled for the night also included The Play That Goes Wrong, Puffs and A Spirited History of Drinking.
Photos posted on social media show flames shooting into the air. Tim Teeman, a senior editor at the Daily Beast, posted on Twitter that he was inside the theatre complex when he heard “4 or 5 bangs/explosions” and smelled smoke.
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The Fire Department says the fires were under control by 9:15 p.m.
Subway trains skipped the 50th Street station on the C and E lines while firefighters investigated.
A spokesman for Consolidated Edison said no one lost power. The cause of the fires was not known.
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