It's almost February, the streets are filled with slush and ice, I have spent the last 24 hours complaining about the cost of gym fees when I just want to use a goddamn treadmill for 30 minutes, and manholes are blowing up left and right.
Indeed, the season of Exploding Manholes is once again upon us—NBC reports that as of yesterday evening, there have been 400 manhole fires in the city since Friday, thanks to the Saturday's nearly record-making blizzard. The fires are leading to power outages, with over 1,500 reported in Brooklyn alone yesterday; Queens had 300, Manhattan had 170, there were 20 in Staten Island and 10 in The Bronx.
As a reminder, salt and melting snow lead to corroded electric wires, and when those wires get corroded, they can catch fire or unleash gas that eventually blows off a manhole cover. Power problems aside, people have been injured by flying manhole covers, and the resulting smoke can release carbon monoxide into nearby homes. Avoid stepping on any and all manhole covers, especially any that say Con Ed, because they occasionally become electrified with stray voltage.
If you spot a smoking manhole, contact Con Ed or the FDNY as soon as possible. (Puerile jokes about "smoking manholes" may be directed to the comment section below.)
