A fire in Brooklyn manhole consumes a Subaru SUV, spreading to a nearby building

NEW YORK – A Thanksgiving Day electrical fire that started in a pothole on a Brooklyn street quickly toppled a car parked above it – then caused a fire to break out in a fourth-floor apartment in a nearby building, FDNY officials said Thursday.

The two-alarm fire started in a ditch on Remsen St. near Hicks St. in Brooklyn Heights around noon when a silver Subaru SUV parked nearby crashed and burned, FDNY Deputy Chief Stephen Corcoran said.

“We were in the process of putting out the flames under the car and checking the surrounding areas for carbon monoxide or smoke in the building,” Corcoran said at the scene. “At that time, a fire broke out on the fourth floor of building (a).”

The FDNY said 25 units responded to the fire at 12:05 p.m., with 106 firefighters and EMS personnel on scene. No injuries were reported.

Three hours later, operations were still ongoing, and the cause of the electrical fire had not yet been found.

“The cause of the building fire, which we believe is related to an electrical fire in the street, is still under investigation,” Corcoran said.

Electrical fires are very difficult to put out, Corcoran said, and firefighters had to wait for Con Edison to arrive and shut off the power to the building.

Most of the fire damage occurred on the fourth floor, and residents were unable to return on Thursday.

Three buildings were evacuated, one due to fire and two due to high levels of carbon monoxide.

“We will remain at the scene until the carbon monoxide levels are reduced to zero,” Corcoran said, adding that if the levels are safe residents can return to their buildings unharmed by the fire.

While the fire destroyed many residents’ Thanksgiving plans, at least one family that was forced to evacuate had something to be thankful for.

“It’s a very stressful situation, especially on a holiday like Thanksgiving,” Corcoran said. “We were able to go in and save their Thanksgiving dinner, pack up their food and give it to them so they can take it to a relative’s house and enjoy it there.