WIKIPEDIA;
The New York Telephone exchange fire occurred on February 27, 1975 at the New York Telephone Company switching center at 204 Second Avenue and Thirteenth Street in lower Manhattan. At this time, the building contained central offices for connecting local customer telephone lines, as well as toll switching systems. The fire disrupted service for 175,000 customers, connected within the building through 105,000 service loops. It was the worst single service disaster suffered by any single Bell operating company in the 20th century.