2/2/2015
By Ivan Pereira
A manhole fire sent two people to the hospital and shut down a Park Slope Street Monday morning.
Firefighters cordoned off the block near 86 Prospect Park West after the manhole shot flames into the air around 11:20 a.m. The fire caused enough pressure to send the manhole into the air and strike a pedestrian in hte head, according to City Councilman Brad Lander. The unidentified victim was taken to Lutheran Hospital with a minor injury, according to the FDNY.
The blast also shattered a window of a nearby apartment, hurting a tenant minorly, the councilman said. The tenant was taken to Methodist Hospital, the FDNY said.
Firefighters put out the blaze around 2:30 p.m. Nearby home weren’t evacuated but Con Edison shut off the power to the area while crews battled the fire.
Lander said the fire was likely a result of wire corrosion due to the salt used to melt street ice.
