NYC Underground Blasts Ignite 2-Alarm Manhole, Car Fires

July 31, 2020
FDNY firefighters responded to a series of explosions that sent flames shooting through manholes, which set a parked car on fire in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood early Friday.

A series of underground explosions in Brooklyn sparked multiple manhole blazes, which set one parked car on fire early Friday.

The explosions erupted shortly before 2:15 a.m., cutting power to three apartment buildings in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood, WABC-TV reports. When FDNY firefighters arrived at the scene, flames shooting out of one manhole spread to a Volvo parked over it.

Crews raised the call to two alarms, and more firefighters were brought in to control the blazes. The cause of the fire is unclear, but the storms and hot temperatures could have played a role, according to WABC.