Live from Rockefeller Center...it's a burning taxi cab! Well, at this point, a burnt taxi cab.

I was at lunch when it happened, but I'm told flames started shooting out from under the hood, and the cabbie just stopped the car, got out of the cab and watched it burn. He got his 15 minutes of fame talking to news reporters, etc. on the scene.

When I got back from lunch, the remaining melted hunk of metal, glass and plastic was sitting in the street, surrounded by two firetrucks, several firemen, and about two dozen tourists, all taking pictures of the wreckage (gotta love Rockefeller Center...). This picture was taken from my office window in 50 Rockefeller Plaza, as a forklift took the cab away.

Another colleague has pictures of the actual fire, but needs to send them to me from his home account tonight. When I get them, I'll post them here.

UPDATE: More pictures here. (Hat tip: Gothamist)

 

UPDATE #2: Three more pictures from my colleague, Joe Woods. Click to see the larger versions: