New York, NY – After the storm comes fire. Or, more exactly, fires.
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On Tuesday, manhole fires in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx prompted evacuations of nearby homes.
Wednesday night, there was an explosion in a manhole on Avenue C in Kensington, Brooklyn.
On Essex Street on the Lower East Side the next morning, a fire in a manhole melted the brakes of a car parked nearby.
Just after 3 this afternoon, an eruption in a manhole at Seventh Avenue and 33rd Street in Midtown prompted evacuations and knocked out power to a building.
All these incidents — only one of which involved an injury, minor — are part of an annual cycle as predictable as crocuses in March and mosquitoes in June: the surge in manhole fires as salty slush seeps down into the city’s maze of subterranean utility closets. There have been at least 19 such fires and explosions since New Year’s Day, according to Consolidated Edison and fire officials.
Salt laid down on wintry streets corrodes cables and makes them more susceptible to catching fire, said a Con Edison spokesman, Chris Olert. A smoldering cable can also release noxious gasses that can build to such intense pressure that the manhole cover pops off. Con Edison has redesigned many of its manhole covers to increase ventilation and to decrease the chance of such a frightening occurrence.
“We’ve taken great pains — we’ve modified the covers to manholes to lessen the impact,” Mr. Olert said.
The fires happen more often in Manhattan and other areas where electrical wiring runs underground. In Staten Island and parts of Queens, many of the wires run aboveground, making them impervious to manhole fires but more vulnerable to high winds and storms.
Anyone who sustains an injury or has property damaged in a manhole fire can file a claim with Con Edison.
maybe the city should stop puting salt?
You write “Anyone who sustains an injury…. can file a claim with Con Edison”.
I guess you meant to say, “can file a lawsuit against con edison”!
I live on the corner of that block and it was a free fireworks show!! actually it was really scary until we figured out what it was~the lights in out house and our neighbors houses were all flickering non-stop and no one could figure out what it was. we were just about to call coned when suddenly there was a tremendous BOOM!! the cover of the manhole popped off and then the show started!! B’H no one got hurt!