Con Ed crews work on damage from manhole fires on 75th Street in Woodhaven early Thursday morning.
Several manhole fires on 75th Street near 88th Avenue in Woodhaven early Thursday morning sent five people to the hospital and scorched two cars, according to area residents and Con Edison.
The manholes erupted into flames just before 1 a.m., and the FDNY said it had the blaze under control by 2 a.m. Five individuals were taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center to be treated for smoke inhalation, officials said.
“I heard a loud boom, but I didn’t know what it was,” said Sebastine Cruz, who lives on 75th Street. “My mom went outside, and she saw all the fire trucks and police and said there was an explosion. I was scared.”
Andres Veras, who also lives on 75th Street, said his daughter saw the explosions.
“She said there was smoke everywhere,” Veras said. “I was going to park my car where it happened. I thought, ‘Oh God, what if I had done that?’”
Con Edison said the cause of the fires was still under investigation, though the company said it was looking into a failure of underground delivery equipment.
Con Ed crews continued to repair the damage throughout the day Thursday.
A number of residents noted Con Ed had been working in the area in the days prior to the explosions.
“They were doing work here all last week,” Veras said. “They’re always coming here to check on things.”
State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), who represents part of Woodhaven, visited the area on Thursday and tweeted that he has “a long history of holding Con Edison accountable.
“I will make sure they are keeping Woodhaven residents safe,” he tweeted.
The manhole fires left two cars badly scorched, including this one.
By Anna Gustafson
