A manhole explosion in New York City’s bustling Times Square tourist district shook up visitors and locals, alike, on Sunday.
Several viral videos show panicked pedestrians running away from a loud “boom,” which rattled the iconic Crossroads of the World in the heart of Midtown just before 7 p.m. ET on Sunday. No injuries were reported.
Consolidated Edison, the energy company providing electricity, gas and steam to NYC, was not immediately available for comment. But Con Ed ED, -0.70% told media outlets including CBS New York that a cable failure underground caused a manhole to explode, and at least one other manhole to smoke. There were no customer outages, and no reports of property damage.
A fire department spokesperson told MarketWatch over email that firefighters responded to three manholes on fire on Sunday night. No one was injured.
The area was temporarily closed off on Sunday night as the FDNY and Con Ed investigated the scene. The FDNY told MarketWatch that searches of surrounding properties revealed elevated carbon monoxide levels in a building cellar at 229. W. 43rd St., and firefighters mitigated the carbon monoxide levels in the cellar and subcellar of the location. The FDNY left the scene just before 11 p.m. on Sunday.
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