NYC on pace for the most manhole fires, smoking manholes in 11 years, data shows

A CBS News New York Investigation finds New York City is on pace for the most manhole fires in 11 years.

New York City Open Data shows more than 4,000 reports of fire, smoke or explosions in manholes that the FDNY responded to so far this year.

Back in 2023, firefighters responded to just 1,300 manhole fire reports all year. That number climbed to 2,800 in 2024, then 4,400 in 2025. That's a 200% increase over the last few years.

This year is on pace for the most manhole fires or smoking manholes in the city since 2015.

According to Con Ed, the top cause of manhole fires is the salt used to treat snow, which corrodes electrical wires. The city spread 1 billion pounds of salt last winter to fight the worst snow and cold since 2015.

Con Ed, which owns not all but most of the electrical manholes in New York City, would not agree to an interview for this story.

A company spokesperson emailed us, saying, in part, "Safety is our priority," and saying fewer than 1% of its 268,000 manholes are involved in an emergency response each year. Con Edison says most of those responses are for "smoking manholes" where there are "no flames."

"It is truly horrific for New Yorkers to wake up to stories about exploding manhole covers. Far, far more horrific for the victims and the families of the victims who have suffered severe injuries and, in some cases, death," New York State Sen. John Liu said.

In 2022, a Con Edison manhole explosion in Times Square sent New Yorkers scrambling in fear, and in 2015, a manhole cover in Brooklyn landed on a man's head and seriously injured him.

In February of this year, two kids suffered minor burns from a manhole explosion in Tribeca.

"It seems like it's getting more and more frequent," Liu said. "Part of that is probably the aging infrastructure, but there needs to be a solution."

Parker Voss says he was standing about 10 feet away when an underground explosion launched metal manhole covers into the air on Broadway near West Third Street. It happened around 7:30 a.m. on July 9.

"I was told by a worker on the street that had it happened any later in the day, somebody surely would've died," he said.

Security video from a business on Broadway shows the covers nearly did hit two other pedestrians.

"It sounded like a building had collapsed, almost," Voss said.

The FDNY and Con Edison responded to the scene, and workers eventually covered the manhole back up.  

Medical records show doctors prescribed Voss medication later that day after he complained of hearing loss, ear pain and imbalance. Voss said the incident has left him a bit shaky and hyper alert.

"I just don't feel quite normal. I'm off, not having normal thoughts," he said. "Still figuring this out."

Con Ed says the July 9 explosion was likely related to the hot weather, as recent heatwaves increased demand for power.

The company says it's been using stronger cables, thermal cameras and grated covers to try to prevent fires and special latches on 3,300 manhole covers to keep them from flying off. That means the vast majority of Con Ed's manholes don't have those latches, and the company would not tell us whether any of those tools were in place for the manholes on Broadway.

"I have proposed, in the past, greater fines for Con Edison on a per-incident basis because part of the problem is that they face no music if something like this happens," Liu said.

New York state says it has the option to fine Con Ed for any violations, but the state says its main approach is requiring safety investments.

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