By Patrick Hedlund and Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Staff
UPPER EAST SIDE — A pair of manholes exploded on East 79th Street just after noon on a muggy Tuesday, knocking out power at a half-dozen buildings on the block, fire officials said.
The blast cut power, and air-conditioning, at six buildings on the north side of the street between Madison and Park Avenues, including offices for the Greek Consulate, the New York Society Library and the Plastic Surgery Associates of New York, according to a Con Edison worker at the scene.
Con Edison workers restored power to the buildings by 10 p.m. Tuesday night, a spokeswoman for the comapny said. Crews left the scene by Wednesday morning, she said.
No one was injured in the incident, the FDNY added.
“It sounded like there were bombs underneath us,” said Daniela Lopez, an esthetician from the plastic surgeon’s office. “We ran out of the building.”
She said that about 10 to 12 “minor” procedures scheduled for Tuesday had to be canceled due to the loss of power.
“When I came out, I saw black smoke and the flame,” added Alexandros Pirgiotis, an employee of the Greek Consulate. “Now all this block doesn’t have electricity.”
Another witness said she saw workers in the area running from the scene after the explosion.
The fire was brought under control just before 2 p.m., the FDNY said.
No evacuations were required due of the incident, the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, a Con Edison spokesperson said.
