TROY, N.Y. - A fire that started underground in Troy spread down several city blocks and caused a massive explosion that shot manhole covers 30 feet into the air and shattered about 100 nearby windows, leaving glass along city sidewalks. Looking at the scorched road and the damage, it's hard to believe no one was hurt.
Troy Assistant Fire Chief Robert Schlesinger said, "We are extremely lucky. We had one civilian talking to one of our guys in a safe area. Thankfully they were in a safe area because we set up a perimeter. But when the explosion happened it was tremendous. I've never felt or heard anything like it before."
A series of underground fires in Troy caused explosions from manholes throughout downtown. The explosions shot the manhole covers into the air and left windows on River and Fulton streets completely shattered. Our Jessica Mokhiber was at the scene and has the latest.
Schlesinger says when it happened, he and his men hit the ground immediately.
"We had glass showering down on us and there were two major explosions at either end of the city," Schlesinger said.
Fire crews say it was some kind of electrical fire underground that triggered the explosions on River Street and that this isn't completely unheard of.
"It does occasionally happen. All the electrical service that goes on underground underneath the sidewalks," Schlesinger said.
Fire crews are letting business owners through to check on their property. National Grid is here working to restore power. Some should be back on Monday, but it could be as long as a week before all of the power is back on.
Many of the businesses are closed on Sundays but a few owners came down to check on the damage. They didn't want to talk on camera, but tell us they're waiting for answers from the city and they're unsure when they're going to be back up and running. The fire department says their best bet is to contact National Grid.