Midtown office fire erupts in 23-story tower

140 East 51st Street
140 East 51st Street

A fire broke out in a Midtown office building Monday, causing several top floors to be evacuated.

Firefighters responded to a call from 140 East 51st Street at 2:11 p.m., officials told the New York Daily News. No injuries were reported, and fire officials told the Daily News that evacuations were taken as a cautionary procedure in case of carbon monoxide. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but was likely either a blown transformer or came from a nearby manhole, an FDNY spokesperson told Gothamist.

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As of 3:16 p.m., West 51st Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues was closed while firefighters battled the flames.

The 23-story tower, constructed in 1963, is owned by a Hartford, Conn.-based LLC called 135 West 50th Street Investors. The entity purchased the property from 14 East 60th Street Associates in 2012 for $279 million, according to city records. [NYDN] and [Gothamist]Julie Strickland