Upper East Side Manholes Catch Fire, FDNY Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Upper East Siders heard explosion noises Tuesday morning after two manholes caught on fire, an FDNY spokesman said.

The fire department responded to the manhole fires on East 94th Street between Lexington and Third avenues shortly before 11 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said. Con Edison has been called to the scene to make repairs to the manholes, an FDNY spokesman said.

Nobody was injured during the fire, but a car was damaged, an FDNY spokesman said.

Police closed down East 94th Street between Lexington and Third avenues as the FDNY and Con Edison worked on the scene, the NYPD's 19th Precinct announced on Twitter. One of the manholes that caught fire appeared to be directly underneath a car, according to the precinct's tweets.

When asked if the manhole fires caused an explosion, an FDNY spokesman said "sometimes they pop."

Photo by NYPD 19th Precinct