Underground fires forced smoke out of manholes on West End Avenue around 70th Street on Monday night, causing buses to be rerouted. One local resident tells us “heavy, dark smoke” was pouring into the windows of some nearby apartments.
The FDNY said the call came in at 11:14 p.m. for a manhole fire at 200 West End Avenue and that there were high carbon monoxide readings in the area. They “mitigated” the carbon monoxide and checked the surrounding buildings before turning the scene over to the utility companies.
Several people got videos of the fires.
— Mark O'Toole (@MarkDOToole) September 21, 2021
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It took them hours to put out the fire and my apartment smelled like burning rubber. ConEd didn’t show up until the fire had been going on for a long time. If this had happened during the day instead of at night someone could have been killed. When will they figure out how to prevent this from happening?
Here’s what I’d like to know:
1. What caused the fire and where did the file travel underground exactly?
2. What particulate matter was in the smoke?
3. If the fires were underground and burned for a while, what kind of structural damage might have been done to the street, buildings, pipes, etc.?
This particular area has been under construction at least 10 times over the last several years. I’m concerned about what’s going on beneath our feet…
Agree 100%
And the gates of Hell opened…
Last week, after the storm, some manholes on Amsterdam and 93rd, 94th, and possibly also 95th had similar fires, with 93rd street one exploding.
Also evidence of similar fires in manholes on WEA around 91st street.
So that’s why my dog was hiding under the table! Does anyone know exactly when it all started?
Should not “utility hole” be used instead of “manhole” in this day and age ?
They are called maintenance holes now.
Get a life.
A week or two ago, the city was cleaning the manholes on W 84 at 11:30 at night with equipment that was superloud. I was narked at the time, but now I am glad.
Con Ed sent an advisory recently saying there would be utility work on West End in that area until December. Heard the series of explosions, followed by lots of emergency service sirens.
West Side Rag
Please report back on what caused the fire and what damage was done to the infrastructure. What, if any, particles were in the smoke. Why did it take so long, according to residents nearby, for Con Ed to respond?