NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Seventeen people were injured after someone set papers on fire in the New York County Courthouse building Wednesday afternoon, New York State Courts said.
At 4:11 p.m. on Wednesday the FDNY received a call reporting a suspicious odor and responded to 60 Centre Street, near Worth Street, the home of the New York County Courthouse and related court entities.
“Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 4:15 pm today, an individual depressed a fire-extinguisher on the fourth floor at 60 Centre Street to douse a fire he had set to papers … The incident is being investigated and the individual is in custody,” New York State Courts said.
According to New York State Courts, three floors of the building were evacuated.
As a result of the fire and fire extinguisher fumes, 17 minor injuries were sustained with two people being transported to New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan hospital and 15 others requiring medical attention, the FDNY said.
New York State Courts identified a sergeant and a court officer as the two who were transported to New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan hospital, and said that 14 other court officers were treated on the scene.
An investigation into this matter is underway.