Another Manhole Fire In Park Slope Forces Six Buildings To Evacuate
Fire from a manhole in park slope. #Brooklyn#newspic.twitter.com/M2pgn6wiQu
— Andre Lewis (@AndreJamieLewis) February 3, 2015
Park Slope is having a rough time with manhole fire lately. Less than 24 hours after yesterday’s incident, in which an explosion sent a manhole cover flying into the air, striking a man in the head, another fire at around 4:18 am was wreaking havoc. No one was struck in the head, but the resulting carbon monoxide levels forced the FDNY to evacuate six buildings in the wee hours of the morning. The underground fire also spread to a car parked on the street.
News 12 caught some very Escape from New York-esque footage of the cars on fire. No injuries have been reported at this time, but we’re betting that the folks evacuated from their homes early in the morning probably need some coffee at least. (Though early mornings > death by carbon monoxide poisoning, without a doubt.)
As we mentioned yesterday, the winter is a treacherous time to be on manholes, particularly during times when there’s been a lot of snow and ice out. That’s because the salt used to make sidewalks passable also acts as a corrosive agent on electrical cords, which leads to fires, which leads to a dangerous burnt-out hellscape version of New York.