NYC's flagship Macy's store reopens after fire

Hundreds of holiday shoppers were evacuated from New York City's iconic Macy's store on Sunday after a fire in an escalator spread smoke through the building. No injuries were immediately reported.

The fire occurred in an escalator between the third and fourth floors, said Elina Kazan, a Macy's spokeswoman. The sirens of numerous police and fire trucks on 34th Street blared long after the fire was reported at 4 p.m. on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The smoke was so heavy at one point that passers-by on the street could smell it.

Outside the building, a police officer announced to prospective customers after 5 p.m. that Macy's had closed. It reopened within an hour and will remain open until midnight, Kazan said. When it reopens at 7 a.m. Monday, it will remain open 24 hours a day until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, she added.

Kazan said the fire did not occur within the store's wooden-stair escalators but instead occurred in one of the newer, metal models.