Early this morning eight-year Iraq vet Nigel Edinborough moved his 2002 Ford Escape to a new spot on Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights and headed home. And only moments after he walked away the manhole beneath the car went KA-BOOM. By the time he returned to his vehicle it was a smoldering, burned out mess. "It was like back in Iraq," the vet told the Post. Yes, we're in the middle of exploding manhole season, but that doesn't make stories about them any less jaring. more ›

According to Consolidated Edison, there have been 19 manhole fires and explosions since New Year's Day, making this winter the official exploding manhole season in the city. ConEd spokesman Chris Olert told City Room that salt laid on streets corrodes cables, which can either catch fire or release gas that builds up and sends manhole covers flying. Fortunately they've made efforts to better ventilate the manhole covers. But what can explain all those manhole explosions in April and May? Umm, ghosts? more ›

We know the world is supposed to end in 2012 or whatever, but the city seems to be getting a jump start on the mass destruction. On New Year's day one man was witness to a "15' tower of flames" erupting from a manhole (video below) on Bleecker Street and Leroy Street. Thankfully instead of running for his life, he had the presence of mind to film the event for the benefit of the Internet: more ›

Up to 50 people have been evacuated from a six story building at 410 West 23rd Street near 9Th Avenue. According to reports coming in over the wires, there are three smoking manholes outside the buildings, and carbon monoxide readings over 220 parts per million. And yes, we've seen this movie before! Update: Here's video. more ›

At least two manholes caught fire after exploding on Water Street (between Adams and Washington Streets) and on Washington Street in DUMBO around 3:15 today. One witness tells us "one of the manhole covers flew several stories off the ground. There was fire before but now just a lot of black smoke." The FDNY seems to have the situation under control, and there don't appear to be any injuries reported, but when something similar happened last month in midtown, Thom Yorke fans were tragically inconvenienced. more ›

We're getting multiple reports that two manholes are on fire on West 40th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. One tipster says several fire trucks are on the scene, and the entire area is covered in smoke. According to reports over the wires, the FDNY called "all hands" to fight a transformer fire with an extension into a 14 story building. "High carbon monoxide readings" are being reported near the scene. There are no injuries reported yet. more ›

They're back! We just received this tip from a reader about a manhole explosion on Union Street near Smith Street in Brooklyn. Apparently the manhole exploded under a minivan! Abe Lincoln Jr. said, "The minivan belonged to the owner of the korean deli on the corner of smith and union. Pretty lucky as theres a street fair on Court Street Today. He was able to drive the van away but the back fender was pretty mangled. Stinks like burning car here." more ›

Firefighters and Con Ed are dealing with a third alarm manhole fire near 226 West 52nd Street. WCBS 2 reports, "It's believed a second transformer may have blown at 1697 Broadway, near the Ed Sullivan Theater. Flames could be seen shooting from the manhole and bits of the street were blown out from the blaze. Witnesses reported hearing a loud 'pops' from potential explosions in the manhole." more ›

The rain—and winds—is here and so are manhole explosions. WABC 7 reports that "after Con Ed received reports of two manholes smoking" on the Upper West Side, the "covers went flying and flames shot" up around 4:30 a.m. more ›

Investigators think they've solved the mystery of the missing manhole cover that should have kept a LI teen from falling to his death on Sunday. Half the lid was removed by a worker from a neighboring pizza parlor, who tried to save Amiri Zeqiri. The rest has now been extracted from the cesspool 20 feet below, using a giant red magnet. Officials told Newsday that "the cover was in place and in some kind of shape that . . . when he stepped on it, it broke apart and he fell in." Zeqiri, who worked at Dunkin Donuts, was taking trash to the dumpster when he fell into the sewage pipe. more ›

The Long Island teen whose cesspool death made headlines yesterday spoke to his 14-year-old cousin as he tried to stay afloat. "I think I broke my arm. I feel blood running," he said, I don't wanna let go. I don't wanna let go.'" Ameri Zequiri was taking out the trash behind the Smithtown Dunkin Donuts where he worked when he stepped into an uncovered manhole and fell 20 feet. more ›

Two Con Ed workers were injured when a manhole exploded at Broadway and Hart Streets in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. According to MyFoxNY, "one worker was struck in the head by the manhole cover after the explosion." He is in critical condition; both workers are at Kings County Hospital. WABC 7 says they "were working on a nearby service box when the explosion sent the manhole flying into the air." more ›

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." more ›

Just before noon a reader wrote in from 6th Avenue and 20th Street saying, "Lots of emergency vehicles. People in the street. Smoke billowing out the north side (20th st.) of the building. 6th ave traffic messed up." Word over the newswire was the fire, at 641 6th Avenue, was sparked by a manhole explosion. Another reader, who works in that building, told us they were evacuated because of a fire in the subway; she also notes a "huge fireball" reached the 5th floor. Con Ed and the FDNY are on the scene. more ›

Over the last month we've seen a few explosions around the city caught on tape; first a manhole erupting on 29th Street, then a transformer explosion at Metrotech in Brooklyn. And today, live from 6th Street (between Avenues A and B), manhole fireworks! This happened just after 4 p.m. more ›

We're always hearing about manhole explosions, but have you ever seen one? One captivated duo caught an exploding one on 29th Street, noting: "Firefighters closed down the street and moved a car parked within 20 feet of manhole cover." Check out the footage, taken from a safe distance: more ›

Remember Monday's Brooklyn Heights electrical fire, with the gas leaks and the exploding manhole covers and the power outage and the subway shutdowns and the evacuations? We reported that it was caused by a contractor working for National Grid, who hit an underground MTA electrical line while installing gas service to a home on Willow Place. It turns out the contractor did everything he was supposed to do, including making the required "call before you dig" query, which every contractor must do before ripping into city streets. So what's to stop this from happening again? more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] We're getting reports that a possible gas leak and/or explosion has prompted the evacuation of buildings in Brooklyn Heights near Borough Hall and Court Street. According to some reports, at least five manhole covers have blown, and subway stations at Borough Hall and Court Street in Brooklyn have been evacuated and closed. One reader just sent us this email: more ›

Given that there are manhole fires from time to time—and that many times steam can be seen rising from them—it's no surprise to learn they can leave burns. And now a Bronx woman is suing Con Ed for burns she suffered in 2006. According to the Daily News, "Melissa Mann was crossing Allen St. on the lower East Side on Sept. 5, 2006, when she was hit by a delivery van...She flew through the air and landed on a manhole cover, which burned her instantly, according to a lawsuit filed in Bronx Supreme Court this week." Yikes. Her lawyer said his client has permanent scarring, not to mention seizures, and walks with a cane, "For the temperature of that cap to be so hot that it caused scalding burns to the touch is not right. It poses a danger to citizens walking on the street not to mention any animals walking on the street." Mann is seeking "an award for medical services, lost wages and pain and suffering." Five years ago, a woman got a "manhole tattoo" on her back when she fell (while skateboarding in the East Village) on a manhole. more ›

Continuing the "OMG, SRSLY" story of the Staten Island teen who fell into an open manhole while text messaging, 15-year-old Alexa Longueira has been speaking with the media about her ordeal. Apparently DEP workers left the the open manhole to retrieve some orange cones—and it took a little too long for them to return. She told WCBS 2, "It was just really gross and it was shocking and scary. Because of their careless mistake I got hurt... Regardless of whether I'm texting or not if there was a cone there I'm gong to see a big orange cone. I walk that sidewalk every day, I don't expect a big hole there." So, if there was a big orange, she TOTALLY would have seen it while texting, instead of the manhole, right? more ›

To paraphrase Mel Brooks, "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when a Staten Island teen falls down an open manhole while text-messaging." 15-year-old Alexa Longueira was walking with a friend around 5 p.m. yesterday and was about to send a text when she felt the ground give way: "She literally just handed me the phone and I opened it [and] I felt this big drop. It was four or five feet, it was very painful. I kind of crawled out and the DEP guys came running and helped me. ... They were just, like, 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!'" Longueira got some scrapes on her arms and back (pictured), but doctors are concerned about possible spine damage and want a follow-up MRI. A DEP spokesperson says workers left the manhole momentarily to retrieve cones from the truck and expressed "regret." But Alexa's mother is determined to sue the city, and argues that it doesn't matter whether Alexa was texting or not; the manhole shouldn't have been left open. She tells the Staten Island Advance that even though the sewer wasn't full, "Oh my God, it was putrid. One of her sneakers is still down there." more ›

Three workers at a private recycling facility in Jamaica, Queens died while trapped in a sewage hole earlier this afternoon. According to NY1, "The men were subcontractors pumping three to four feet of water out of the hole, which was about 18-feet deep. One worker fell into the hole and the two others fell in while trying to help him." And CityRoom reports that two of the workers were a father and a son. The hole was full of hydrogen sulfide and fire officials said there was twice the lethal amount of the colorless gas, which the CDC says "can also result from bacterial breakdown of organic matter. It is also produced by human and animal wastes." Queens Borough Commander John Sudnik said, "It's toxic. At 50 parts per million, it's lethal in 10 minutes." Initially, the FDNY had called Con Ed to bring vacuum trucks, which helps suck debris from manholes, to Regal Recycling Co. but then cancelled the request because the victims were dead. more ›

At least a few buildings on or near Mercer Street lost power when a fire or an explosion occurred in a manhole at Mercer and West 3rd Street exploded this morning. The block was closed off by the Fire Department. We hear there were no injuries, but it's unclear what caused the fire. One witness saw a billowing black smoke and said it smelled "acrid, like maybe it's an electrical fire." And contributor Gideon... more ›

On the front page of the NY Times section A, there was a photograph of some workers in Haoro, India and an article titled "New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India." And in fact, the workers are barefoot, bare-chested, bare-handed, and bare-headed as they work in an iron foundry, making manhole covers for Con Ed and other cities. The Times explains that a photographer, J. Adam Huggins, who works with the newspaper brought... more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: multiple manhole fires on Marcy Ave. in Brooklyn, a shooting on Gunhill Rd. in the Bronx, and a stabbing on 7th Ave. in Manhattan. The NYTimes examines the ground beneath our feet and finds out where the city's asphalt comes from and how it's produced. The lives, loves, and world of Second Lifers, where people inhabit a virtual world of their and others' making. Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, who... more ›

The gas main explosion that rocked a home on 48th Ave. and 41st. St. Wedneday––killing one woman and injuring six others––occurred despite what ConEd and FDNY say was them following proper procedures preceding the incident. Kunta Oza, who died at the age of 69, was burned over 90% of her body. In addition to the six others injured in the explosion, 200 people were evacuated from the block until it was deemed safe to return.... more ›

The 69-year-old woman who was burned over 90% of her body in a gas explosion in her Sunnyside home died yesterday. City Councilman Eric Gioia said, "It is with great regret and sadness that I announce the passing of Kunta Oza. My deepest condolences go out to her entire family, and I ask that all New Yorkers keep them in their Thanksgiving prayers." On Wednesday afternoon, calls were made to 911 about a gas smell... more ›

Thanksgiving officially marks the start of the holiday movie season, and this weekend, one film seems poised to make a run for the box office crown. Enchanted, the Disney film that mixes animation and live-action to spoof its classic fairy tales, received some pretty stellar reviews. It's 92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and most reviews are calling this the star-making performance of Amy Adams, who was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for Junebug... more ›

Getting shocked by an electrified manhole isn't just for the winter: Yesterday morning, a Labrador retriever suffered a jolt when he stepped onto a wet manhole cover on Thompson Street. more ›

More updates below, but here's a summary so far (8:20PM): A steam explosion occurred on East 41st and Lexington Avenue (41st between Lex and Third) just before 6PM - right during the evening rush hour. The NYPD does not think it was a terrorist attack. It appears that there is a hole about 25' in diameter with a red tow truck in the center. One person has died (possibly from cardiac arrest) and there are at least 15 people injured. It is a six-alarm situation for the FDNY, which includes 24 engines and 13 ladders. more ›