Hundreds evacuated off Staten Island Ferry after fire breaks out

Hundreds of people were evacuated off a Staten Island Ferry after a fire broke out during the evening rush on Thursday, according to the FDNY.

The blaze started in a mechanical room just before 5:20 p.m., forcing the 600 passengers on board into life jackets and onto smaller vessels, officials said.

The small fire was put out and the ferry was anchored in the Bay Ridge channel off the coast of Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Passengers were transferred to tug boats and taken to St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island, the FDNY said.

No one was injured during the chaos.

The fire department was set to tug the affected ferry back to Staten Island.