Question: Major Explosion in Manhattan

Telephone call with client | 7/18/2007 | RinaseaofD's

[RinaseaofDs]

I just hung up with a client located on the E40's in Manhattan. Tons of sirens to the point where he felt compelled to check on what was up.

He came back to the phone and said there had just been a massive explosion near their building, and that they were evacuating.

Any NYC Freepers have any information on this? Happened at 6 PM EDT or there abouts.

[angelcindy]

its not a car chase or paris hilton...its NEWS!! can’t have that now

[NormsRevenge]

.

Firefighters and police officers observe debris and steam rising from what is to believed to be a steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18 , 2007, in New York. An underground steam pipe explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday during the evening rush hour, sending residents running for cover amid a towering geyser of steam. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)

[NormsRevenge]

Steam erupts from the site of an explosion at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 41st street in New York, July 18, 2007. (Chip East/Reuters)

[fanfan]

Thanks for posting those pictures Norm.

It must have been frightening at the time.

[NormsRevenge]

Looks like a war zone,, lucky there aren’t more serious injuries.

Per Mayor Bloomy press conference, the steam pipe in question dates back to 1924 ..

[hole_n_one]

I turned on the boob tube when I got home and saw the scene that your pics reflect, with the words, BREAKING NEWS , and my first thought was terrorism.

It was a relief to find that it was not, but, my next thought was.........

if not today........

[Issaquahking]

Here is a link to what a transformer explosion looks like... Best I coulddo on short notice.

[svanni]

BOOM !!! “It was a pipe, from uhh, nineteen twenty...uhh...four. Yep, that’s it, pipe with steam. Everybody go home, except you couple thousand over there. You go to radiation treatment.”

[fanfan]

Per Mayor Bloomy press conference, the steam pipe in question dates back to 1924 ..

We humans take sooo much for granted.

[NormsRevenge]

When old sewer lines collapse, stuff happens

Here in SF , infrastructure is in bad shape as well.

[bannie]

I watched your YouTube...

I don’t think I’d stand there watching.

[COBOL2Java]

Sulphur reported. What do you make of it?

Hillary in town?

[RedRover]

This is what I walked into on my way home tonight. Fortunately, trains were leaving from Grand Central so I only got hung up for 45 minutes or so.

Jeesh! What a way to end the day!

[NormsRevenge]

What a mess.

Emergency personnel look over a truck that lies in a hole in the street after a steam explosion in midtown Manhattan, New York, Wednesday, July 18, 2007. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

[yield 2 the right]

Micheal Bay and Co. are filming “Transformers 2” in that part of town.....FX stunts gone awry big time: per news wires....

[yield 2 the right]

Add to post# 175: Prayers to all hurt(one killed some news reports say) or affected by this non-terrorism related explosion....

[Pharmboy]

You bad...LOLing here.

[yield 2 the right]

VIDEO...
Underground Explosion Rattles Grand Central
NYPD: Not Terror Related; OEM: Asbestos May Be In Debris...
1 Dead, 17 injured: Stay away from 41st-47th on the east side...
'Thousands will not be allowed into their apartments tonight -- blocks and blocks cordoned off, no one allowed in'... MORE...
WCBS: The crater is 50-100 feet in diameter, with two vehicles inside...
Bloomberg on the scene: 'There is no reason to believe whatsoever that this is anything but infrastructure... there is no reason to believe it was terrorism... the pipe was installed in 1924'...


URBAN VOLCANO: STEAM SCARE IN NYC

[NormsRevenge]

FX stunts gone awry big time: per news wires....

—

If true, they have insurance, I’m sure.

[RedRover]

I was struck by exactly that: lots of spectators blankly taking pictures of it with their cellphones. There was a certain creepy, George Romero-ish, quality to it.