FDNY: At Least Two People Hurt After Manhattan Manhole Explosion

What to Know

  • A manhole exploded in midtown Manhattan Thursday -- just ahead of the afternoon rush, according to fire officials
  • The FDNY says it received a call around 3:39 p.m. to the area of 6th Avenue and 47th Street
  • According to the FDNY, at least two people suffered injuries. One person had injuries to his head and neck as a result of being so close

At least two people were hurt following a manhole explosion in midtown Manhattan Thursday — just ahead of the afternoon rush, according to the FDNY.

The FDNY says it received a call just around 3:45 p.m. to the area of 6th Avenue and 47th Street, where work was being done on a nearby building. Firefighters were already at the scene when the explosion occurred.

According to the FDNY, at least two people suffered injuries. One person had injuries to his head and neck as a result of being close to the manhole when it blew, fire officials said.

The explosion and smoking manhole led to 12 FDNY units responding to the scene, according to officials. 

In a subsequent tweet, the city's Emergency Management warned commuters of traffic delays due to road closures and a heavy presence or emergency personnel in the area.

Images from the scene show a heavy presence of FDNY firefighters and emergency responders as a portion of the area is taped off. It wasn't until close to 7 p.m. when the street finally re-opened.

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