3 firefighters hurt as early morning manhole fires cause chaos in Mott Haven
The blaze started just before 4:40 a.m. inside a conduit in front of 262 Cypress Ave. A conduit is a pipe that protects electrical wiring. The fire caused elevated carbon monoxide levels in the surrounding area.
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Multiple manholes caught fire in Mott Haven early Monday morning, leaving three firefighters injured and multiple people without power, according to the FDNY and Con Edison.
The blaze started just before 4:40 a.m. inside a conduit in front of 262 Cypress Ave. A conduit is a pipe that protects electrical wiring. The fire caused elevated carbon monoxide levels in the surrounding area.
Fire officials say three separate - and possibly gas-fed - manhole fires erupted, one of which spread to a car above. Citizen app video showed a charred silver SUV with its windows blown out and debris littered in the street.
A witness tells News 12 that she heard three explosions and smelled something in the air.
According to the FDNY, 79 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene, as well as Con Edison crews.
It took firefighters around two and a half hours to control the flames.
Con Ed crews remained at the scene Monday evening - over 12 hours later - working to make repairs and restore power to eight remaining customers. According to the company's outage map, power is expected to be restored by 6 p.m.
The FDNY says the three hurt firefighters all suffered minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals for treatment.
