Park Slope Buildings Evacuated Following Manhole Fire
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Several buildings were evacuated early Tuesday morning after a manhole explosion and fire in Brooklyn.
It happened shortly after 4:30 a.m on Sixth Street in Park Slope.
A car was seen burned out after the fire. It's believed the car was over the manhole.
"The car directly in front of our house was engulfed in flames," one nearby resident told 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria. "It was an enormous, enormous fire. It was a scene. There were firemen everywhere."
Jacob Loban caught it on video.
"It was pretty amazing to see," he told CBS2's Diane Macedo. "It was just smoke under the hood and then pretty quickly it progressed into a full-blown fire underneath the hood. It spread back to the front of the car, the windows popped, the tires popped, which is pretty loud."
6 Park Slope Buildings Evacuated Following Manhole Fire
Chuck Cameron also lives in one of roughly a dozen buildings evacuated due to carbon monoxide concerns related to the fire.
"There was probably six or eight-foot high flames and there's a car that's completely totaled," he said. "Ours has some damage to the back of it."
There is no word of any injuries. Residents have been allowed to return to their homes, but Con Edison said at least 17 buildings are still without power.
While fire officials didn't give a direct cause for Tuesday's manhole fire, Con Ed said melting snow, ice and road salt can cause problems when they seep into underground electrical equipment.
The utility said there have been more than 200 manhole incidents in the last 72 hours across New York City, including an earlier one Monday in Park Slope.
Two people were hurt when witnesses said a manhole cover went flying into the air around 11:30 a.m. Authorities said one man was hit in the head while a woman was hit by glass when her window shattered.
