Two young children and a woman were injured in Lower Manhattan on Thursday afternoon when a manhole cover blew off the street, according to New York City public safety officials.
Police said they responded to the incident just before 4 p.m. near the intersection of Warren and Church streets in Tribeca.
The 4-year-old boy, 2-year-old girl and 57-year-old woman all sustained various burns, officials said.
They were taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital in stable condition.
The FDNY said the incident was one of three blown manhole covers in the area around the same time.
According to Con Edison, there were no reports of customer outages related to the incident, and crews were able to make repairs.
Experts say manhole explosions are more common in the winter, when snowmelt mixed with abrasive road salt can damage old wiring and aging electrical infrastructure, leading to combustion in some cases.
The blasts can result in injuries, fires, property damage and the release of toxic gases like carbon monoxide.
City and Con Ed officials did not immediately describe the causes of the Tribeca manhole explosions.
Andrew Giambrone contributed reporting. This story is based on preliminary information from city officials and may be updated.
