Dramatic video shows manhole fires incinerating car after causing building evacuation
By Elijah Westbrook
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NEW YORK (WCBS) — Two manhole fires that erupted in Brooklyn sent two people to the hospital and caused a building to be evacuated Wednesday morning.
The dramatic scene started just before 3:30 a.m. on Humboldt Street in Williamsburg. Video shows firefighters battling the flames shooting up out of the ground, incinerating nearby cars.
The FDNY received a call reporting elevated carbon monoxide levels inside an apartment building caused by the fires. Officials quickly elevated it to two alarm fire with more than 140 first responders heading to the scene.
“It’s the worst of situations as far as the intersection of gas lines and electric utilities, and so there’s a main right underneath it. It’s not fed from one direction; it’s fed from multiple directions,” he said.
FDNY Battalion Chief Barry Legurnic said about 49 apartments were evacuated, so about 200 people.
Two people were taken to the hospital to be evaluated for injuries unrelated to the fire. Three MTA buses are helping the evacuated residents stay warm, and the Red Cross is also at the scene assisting. A warming center was also set up nearby, officials said.
The fire is out, but residents are still unable to go back inside. National Grid and Con Edison crews are working to identify the cause.
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