Three firefighters were injured by an exploding manhole in Brooklyn last night—and one was struck by a flying manhole cover.
The firefighters had been responding to the incident at 1285 Broadway in Bushwick around 10 p.m. Fire Chief Daniel Martinetion told the Post, "There was an underground transformer fire here. It blew and [the manhole] hit him in the leg. It’s a compound break." Here's video of the transformer fire—you can see the blueish flames:
The FDNY says the firefighters' injuries are not life-threatening. In Boerum Hill, utility workers dealing with a transformer fire at Nevins and Pacific Streets were injured in a manhole explosion in the afternoon. NBC New York reports, "One was taken to Bellevue in serious condition, while the other had minor injuries."
Buildings in Queens were evacuated yesterday because of elevated carbon monoxide levels due to manhole explosions. This snowy weather means we're deep in manhole explosion season, as melted snow and salt drip into the manholes and underground transformers, and corrode electrical cables.
