No injuries reported as firefighters battle manhole fires in Queens
NEW YORK -- Firefighters were on the scene of two manhole fires Tuesday that caused an explosion in Jamaica, Queens.
Officials said it happened at around 8 a.m. in an industrial area and since there were not many people around, no injuries were reported, CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported.
There was damage where the explosion blew the cover off the manhole and buckled the roadway on 149th Street.
There was a car parked nearby and the force of the explosion tore the back bumper right off and also shattered the back windshield.
The vehicle's owner said she was thankful she wasn't inside it. She said she used her other car to take her daughter to school.
"I came this way only to realize when I got here that it's my car. I jump out of the truck in the middle of the street, 'Oh my god! Oh my god, what happened?' They said, 'Well, sorry miss, but the manhole exploded due to gas buildup,'" Jamaica resident Melonie Edwards said.
Authorities are still investigating, but said these types of explosions typically happen after de-icing salt seeps into the ground and corrodes wires, and sometimes releases gases that spark fires and can blow these heavy manholes into the air.
Con Edison says another vehicle was also damaged. So far, no power is still on in the neighborhood.