A parked car caught fire after a below-ground transformer blew in Midtown early this afternoon — starting off a massive blaze that burned a 16-story condominium building for an hour, officials and witnesses said.
Witnesses at the scene said the fire moved quickly from the van to the building at 140 East 56th St. through a scaffold about 12:06 p.m., catching onto the structure’s second floor.
The car exploded multiple times, witnesses said.
“I saw the smoke from three blocks away as I was running,” said eyewitness Mohammed Mousa, 24. “When I got over here, there was a lot of fire shooting from under the car. Before I knew it the entire car was engulfed.
“It was frightening,” he added. “I knew it was probably going to explode but it was impossible to tell how big it would be.”
Two people were trapped inside the building — one inside an elevator on the 11th floor and another inside a first-floor laundry room.
They were both rescued by firefighters. No injuries reported.
Residents of the 16-story building — largely condos with a few commercial offices — were not evacuated.
Officials said the nearly 80 firefighters battling the flames had the situation under control by 1:03 p.m.
Deputy fire Chief Jim Hodgens said the fire started in an underground transformer. “More than likely it was electrical in nature,” the official added.
“It spread real quick,” said Jesus Torres, 43, “Swirls of flames were coming from beneath the pavement. People were just trying to get away from it as fast as possible.
“The car exploded like four times.”