A steam pipe exploded in New York and created a huge cloud. Five people were slightly injured. The pipeline system is considered ailing.
A steam pipe explosion in New York caused a huge cloud of steam near the famous Flatiron Building in Manhattan. The New York Fire Department announced that the steam line had exploded for a previously unknown cause. Five people were hit by objects flying around and were “very easily injured”.
The authorities warned everyone who came into contact with the steam to wash themselves and their clothes: the pipe dates from 1932 and probably contained asbestos.
The intersection had to be cordoned off because of the explosion in rush hour traffic. (Source: Brendan McDermid / Reuters)
More than 100 police and fire service personnel quickly brought the situation under control. The intersection of Fifth Avenue, where the explosion happened, had to be cordoned off, however, which led to long traffic jams in the morning rush hour.
More than 150 kilometers of steam pipes run underground in New York. They regulate the temperature of around 2,000 houses, and hospitals and dry cleaners also use the steam. The pipeline system is sometimes very old and ailing, and there are always disruptions and explosions.
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