2nd Fire in Empire State Bldg.

NEW YORK — A sputtering, smoky electrical fire broke out today in a 50th-floor stairwell of the Empire State Building, sending hundreds of workers fleeing the second blaze in four days at the 57-year-old landmark.

The fire sent waves of panic through the 102-story building but was quickly extinguished by a massive response from the Fire Department, officials said. No injuries were reported. Fire marshals declared the blaze to be of suspicious origin.