Nearly 500 evacuated after fire breaks out at Eastern Bank facility in Lynn

LYNN (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - A multi-story bank office building in Lynn was evacuated Monday after a transformer fire.

Nearly 500 people were evacuated from the Eastern Bank building at 195 Market St. just after 10 a.m. Monday. There were no reports of injuries.

The fire chief said National Grid was working on removing an old transformer that still had energy in it when there was a small explosion. Flames and smoke were coming from the transformer chamber when crews arrived at the scene.

Smoke in the building still needs to be cleared out, but officials said people should be allowed back into the building in a few hours.

Workers went to a gym at the community college across the street to stay warm.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Cox Media Group