Officials: At Least 15 Trash Cans Set On Fire Around Manhattan

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Authorities are trying to find a woman who they say set fire to more than a dozen trash cans around Manhattan.

Fire officials say a woman, described as in her 50s, set at least 15 trash cans on fire in about an hour on Monday.

The first fire was in front of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street at about 3 p.m. At about the same time, authorities received a 911 call about a trash can fire a block away on Madison Avenue.

The fire department used three engines and two trucks to put out the small fires, which melted the plastic garbage bins.

The woman remains at large. Officials are still investigating.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)