A manhole explosion rocked Brighton Beach on Tuesday morning, knocking out residential power lines and forcing firefighters to evacuate surrounding homes.
A faulty Con Edison cable prompted the deafening explosion on Brighton Eighth Street near Ocean View Avenue just before 10:45 am, sparking a fire in a nearby manhole, Fire Department officials said.
Nearby Brooklynites on the crime-reporting Citizen app claimed the burst was ear-shattering.
“That explosion shook my room,” said user @roxeeee.
Firefighters rushed to the scene and quelled the fire — but evacuated residents in three nearby houses when they realized the burst had caused carbon monoxide levels to spike, according to a department spokesman.
The surrounding air filled with the deadly gas, reaching 700 parts per million — significantly higher than the normal rate of between 50 and 100 parts per million, according to Citizen.
Con Edison turned off power to seven nearby houses while investigating the cause of the explosion, according to Con Edison spokesman Allan Drury, who claimed that power would be restored by early Tuesday evening.
Update: I am in touch with @nycemergencymgt, who are responding to the location as well. My staff is on scene to assist where needed. https://t.co/wqFtkkN9MW pic.twitter.com/LL7l3nuqUp
— Chaim Deutsch (@ChaimDeutsch) February 4, 2020
