A Buffalo TV station arrived just in time for a stunning explosion. A crew from WGRZ had arrived at the scene of an underground electrical fire in the city and was interviewing people about what had just occurred Sunday afternoon. As one man tried to explain the large amount of smoke he saw coming from under the roadway, the audience got a clear picture of the scene as suddenly a manhole cover exploded and soared into the sky. This was the second of three manhole cover explosions in the downtown area, National Grid spokesman Steve Brady. Half a dozen customers were left without power but there were no injuries, he said. The exploding covers were due to a buildup of heat and smoke underground, Brady said. "The smoke and heat builds up very quickly in a very confined space," he said. "That causes the manhole covers to dislodge." The 27-year employee at the utility company said he had never seen manhole explosions of that level before. No one was injured and firefighters responded and put the fire under control. Brady said crews worked through the night to replace the damaged cables with new materials. The damaged cables will be sent for testing to determine the cause of the fire, he said. A few roads were closed and some buildings were evacuated as a precaution. Brady said one manhole structure was severely damaged and will need extensive repairs.

WGRZ