NEW YORK — Hundreds of holiday shoppers were evacuated from the flagship Macy's store at Herald Square on Sunday after a fire in an escalator spread smoke through the building. The fire occurred in an escalator between the third and fourth floors, said Elina Kazan, a Macy's spokeswoman. The sirens of 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. One Macy's employee was concerned about asthma but declined to go to the hospital, Kazan said.

No other injuries were reported.