News from
It’s manhole
explosion
season:
Diving into a
century-old
problem
BY GASPARD LE DEM AND
GABRIEL SANDOVAL
THE CITY
Osman Bah was driving his taxi
through Midtown when an underground
explosion shot four
heavy manhole covers into the air.
The blast near Lexington Avenue and
44th Street sent one of the metal covers
crashing through Bah’s windshield. He
suffered debilitating, permanent injuries
that crippled one side of his body.
“I’m not the person who I was anymore,”
he said, looking back at his life
before Nov. 17, 2014.
The blast that injured Bah was among
nearly 4,000 FDNY dispatches for manhole
explosions logged between 2009 and
2018, Fire Department records obtained
through a Freedom of Information Law
request show.
Those were among more than 45,000
emergency manhole incidents, including
smoke and fire episodes, logged during
the span, according to the FDNY.
At least 57 people were injured during
that period, along with nine more
injuries in 2019, according to an analysis
of lawsuits and local news reports. The
explosions also caused significant property
damage, building evacuations, power
outages and traffic disruptions.
Cold Combustion
Exploding manholes are primarily
a winter phenomenon. On average,
firefighters responded to around three
manhole explosions per day during the
months of January and February in the
last decade.
The most common cause is out of
Chemistry 101: a combination of aging
electrical infrastructure — especially old
wiring — and rain or snow melt mixed
with corrosive salt spread to reduce icing
on roads.
The data does not specify which utility
was responsible for each incident, but
with 246,000 manholes and service boxes
in its underground system, Con Edison is
the largest electric provider in the city.
The utility has for decades blamed
manhole issues on road salt that erodes
underground cables, and contends weather
has a “direct impact” on its electrical
system.
Meanwhile, some experts and former
utility workers say that lack of upkeep is
at the root of the problem. Con Edison
counters that it invests heavily on maintenance
annually.
“The safety of our employees and the
public is our top priority,” said Robert
McGee, a spokesperson for Con Edison.
“While there are some risks in the delivery
of electricity, we are constantly
developing and implementing innovative
technology to try to minimize electrical
fires and explosions.”
City legislators have considered several
times tightening oversight of manhole
incidents but failed to pass various
measures. At the state level, the Public
Service Commission –– the board that
oversees public utilities –– has the authority
to pressure Con Edison to reduce
incidents, but has never fined any utility
company for manhole explosions.
Critics say the PSC has since the 1990s
leaned on “a more lightened regulatory
approach” that does little to ensure “preventive
maintenance.”
Multiple Lawsuits
The manhole cover that slammed into
Bah’s taxi knocked him out. “I went unconscious
and was taken to the hospital,”
he told THE CITY.
Five years later, Bah is still recovering
from bodily injuries, struggles with
memory loss and rarely leaves his Queens
home except to see doctors. He no longer
works.
“Basically, all of my left side as we are
speaking right now is numb,” he said.
In March 2015, he sued Con Edison
and the city for “severe, serious, and
permanent personal injuries.” The
complaint, filed in Manhattan Supreme
Court, alleges the utility was negligent
“in allowing a dangerous and explosive
condition to exist within a manhole.” The
case is ongoing.
Con Ed, which employs a small army
of lawyers, regularly fights off injury lawsuits
related to manhole explosions. The
cases often take years to resolve.
Take the case of Jeffrey Lide
Lide was parked on Nostrand Avenue
in Brooklyn on Jan. 28, 2014, when he
heard a strange noise coming from below.
Moments later, he heard what sounded
like “a big bomb” and was lifted into the
air. The manhole under Lide’s car had
exploded, according to a police report.
“I didn’t know what the hell happened,”
he told THE CITY. When his car
dropped back down, Lide stumbled out
of the driver’s seat and sprinted across
the street.
That’s when his 2009 Infiniti sedan
exploded. “I saw a ball of fire go through
the car,” he said. “My gas tank was on top
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY
of the manhole cover.”
Lide was hospitalized with extensive
injuries to his spine and shoulder, according
to a lawsuit filed against Con Edison
in Brooklyn. It took him six months to
recover from surgery, and he says he may
soon need another operation.
In total, he racked up $75,000 in medical
bills, according to his complaint.
Lide declined to comment on the lawsuit,
which he said was ongoing.
An Old Problem
Manhole fires and explosions date to
the early days of electrification in New
York City. A 1915 New York Times story,
for instance, chronicles two manhole
blazes that stranded subway riders at
53rd Street and Broadway.
When manholes explode, they send
cast iron covers that weigh between 70
and 300 pounds flying through the air.
The ear-splitting blasts can shatter
nearby windows, set off car alarms and
often send flames and debris shooting up
from the street.
“The rocks and pebbles are blown out
like bullets,” said Frank Montagna, a
retired FDNY battalion chief. “You can
get burned.”
This story was originally published
on Feb. 24, 2019 by THE CITY, an independent,
nonprofit news organization
dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that
serves the people of New York. Read
more at thecity.nyc.
Schneps Media February 27,2020 9