Times Square manhole blast sends NYC tourists scrambling [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A manhole blast sent terrified crowds in Times Square running for safety on Sunday evening.
• Officials said the FDNY responded to three manhole fires between Times Square and 8th Avenue.
• The fires led to an explosion due to elevated levels of carbon monoxide, according to FDNY.

Multiple manhole fires near Times Square created a loud bang that sent panicked crowds in Times Square scrambling for safety on Sunday evening in midtown Manhattan. 

The New York Fire Department responded to three manholes that caught fire around 6:45 p.m. at 215 West 43 Street between Times Square and 8th Avenue. The area was crowded with tourists at most hours.

There were no reported injuries as a result of the explosion, according to preliminary reports from the NYPD and FDNY. 

Firefighters found elevated carbon monoxide levels in an office building at 229 W. 43rd St. The FDNY was able to mitigate the cellar and sub-cellar of the building.

People posted videos on social media showing tourists carrying shopping bags scrambling around 48th street. 

New Yorker Brad Ball described the incident as “a large explosion.” He said he was standing in the center of Times Square when the explosion happened.

“It didn’t sound extraordinarily close, but definitely was an explosion,” Ball told Fox News Digital.

Firefighters evacuated crowds in the area as a precaution.

According to a report released last year by the Mayor’s Management office, manhole fires more than doubled in New York City from the fiscal year 2020 to 2021. Last year, it jumped to 6,104 last year. 

When gas builds up underground and is ignited by an electrical short circuit, manhole fires often occur. It will send an explosion through the path where there is the least resistance, which is usually a manhole, according to Fire Engineering magazine. 

Source: Fox News