A transformer fire broke out near a post office in a New Jersey town center Monday morning, officials and observers on social media say.
Photos posted to Instagram showed flames and thick black smoke outside the U.S. Post Office at Bayard and Kirkpatrick streets.
Fire officials say that the blaze broke out in a sidewalk grate near the post office. Several people working nearby told NBC 4 New York they heard and felt a rumbling blast and left their buildings.
Officials with PSE&G blamed the blaze on an underground equipment failure and said utility workers were sent to the scene to make repairs.
New Brunswick's city government office said in a Facebook post that Bayard Street was closed between George Street and Joyce Kilmer Avenue while crews battle the blaze.
The post office said that office operations at the Bayard Street location will be moved to a location on Handy Street until Wednesday. Street delivery is not expected to be affected by the blaze.
