Electrical Fire at Half-Demolished Manhattan Skyscraper Forces Evacuation

An electrical fire forced the evacuation of 270 Park Avenue Thursday morning

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An electrical fire in the basement prompted an evacuation Thursday morning at 270 Park Avenue, one of New York City's largest demolition projects ever. About 200 workers had to leave.

The FDNY said it responded at 7:25 a.m. for a fire in a Con Ed vault in the basement of the building. Operations were still ongoing an hour later, though there were no reports of injuries.

The former J.P. Morgan world headquarters, the building is now down to about 30 floors from its original 52. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat considers it the tallest structure to ever be voluntarily demolished.

J.P. Morgan Chase intends to build a new, taller headquarters on the site once the demolition work is completed.

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