Melting Snow Main Suspect In Flatiron Explosion

viaNYMag

Just before noon yesterday a huge explosion sent fireballs up an historic landmark building in the Flatiron District, on 6th Avenue and 20th Street. WCBS reports that the explosion could have been caused by Wednesday's storm, with melting snow and salt working its way into an electrical vault on the building's exterior. FDNY Deputy Chief James Daly told them, "We've been running on manholes all night since the storm started. So it's a likely culprit."

Firefighters were on the scene prior to the explosion after someone reported a smoking manhole cover and a "burning plastic" smell, so the surrounding streets were shut down, and some of the building's tenants evacuated prior to the explosion. They expect more of these scenarios as the snow continues to melt; Daly says, "We know the potential of a transformer vault. We know a smoking vault can be an explosive vault any minute." So if you see smoke coming out of a manhole, they suggest calling 911 immediately.

Luckily no one was injured yesterday, and the NY Times reports that the building—which houses a Radio Shack, a tv studio, and the studio that used to house Air America—was mostly just charred. The Department of Buildings inspected it and "determined that the building did not have any structural stability issues.” Department of Environmental Protection and Con Ed are also testing for signs of the hazardous chemical PCB and confirming the cause, respectively.

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By Jen Carlson in News on February 12, 2010 10:30 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

What's wet, salty, and causes manholes to burn?

ok i'll stop

JacqueMehoff

so, when would get a blackout in winter time?

to residents with underground cables, you guys in the outer boroughs get power outages every time when the weather is bad.

DarkGemini

It has to do with the salt content.

Pure water is actually a rather poor conductor of electricity. It's the addition of minerals and other impurities that increase water's propensity to conduct electricity.

Water created by NYC snow melt is almost supersaturated with salt and is enormously conductive. With enough snow melt accumulation in feeder conduits and electrical enclosures, there is a tremendous potential for short circuits, which in turn is overheating the wires and transformers and causing the manhole fires and explosions that we see following a large snowstorm.

In a nutshell, anyway.

ItchyGoiter

That is what I suspected, thanks. I wonder why no articles explain this, or why we keep using salt (I guess because it's cheap) if this is a result.

Ishtar

Doesn't some place in the midwest use beets?

Ishtar

Yup...Chicago.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-9901173-54.html

goodcow

So this article says to call 911 if you see a smoking manhole cover?

Years ago I called 311 about one while waiting for the bus at 1AM and they transferred me to 911 and had a team on scene in a few minutes.

Last month I called 311 about one while waiting for the bus again at night and the guy said their info said it was "normal." I thought that was bullshit, so then I called ConEd and reported it, but weeks later and this manhole cover is still smoking.

JenChungsBaby

If it's been that long then it's steam. Real smoke would mean there's a fire or some serious smoldering going on. I'm guessing the location is Manhattan below 96th street because that's the only place that gets steam service.

MidC Frank

Sure it's not a cover for the steam system?

goodcow

It never used to smoke, so I assume it's not a steam cover.

Dr Becca

I totally thought this headline said "melting snow MAN suspect." That would have been awesome.

Spirit of 76

I saw the same thing the first time I looked at the headline. But of course only a NYC snowman could be that vicious. If he's going to melt, he's not going alone!

ItchyGoiter

Why is snow water any different than rain water?

MidC Frank

Read above -- it's all the salt.

ItchyGoiter

Though all of the articles I've read mentioned "melting snow and salt", I haven't seen any actually explain why salty water is more prone to start fires than regular rain water.

JenChungsBaby

Because it's corrosive. Same way it eats away a car it will eat away the insulation around Con Ed's electrical cables.

DarkGemini

This isn't entirely correct. Salt, even after prolonged contact, generally won't react with the insulation on electrical wiring.

DarkGemini

Crap...

See my reply to this question below.

Wza

No secret there.

I said it yesterday.

NannyState

You may have already won.

hotstepper

i remembered that when i saw this post, nice work.

MidC Frank

People use way too much freaking salt in this town. It should not be used before snow falls -- only to be scattered onto ICE. Also, would it kill us to use a little sand or ash on the ice and snow?

Gouda

I watched a salt truck go down my street in Brooklyn on Sunday night. The street was bone dry and yet it was scattering salt. Such a waste. Bad for the dogs walking on it and everyone tracking it into their homes.

nicemarmot

I KNOW!!! The overuse of salt in this town is completely absurd. Take last weekend when everyone coated their sidewalks with salt, only to have it not snow at all. Have these people not noticed that when it does snow, all salt does is turn the snow into slush? Which is then more difficult to shovel than snow? Salt is for ICE, you morons.