Two children and one adult suffered minor injuries when a manhole exploded on Church and Warren this afternoon at 3:53pm knocking the manhole cover off its base and spewing steam and a black residue several feet in the air. M. heard the sound from her apartment nearby — it was so loud that she rushed outside to see what had happened — and sent this picture at 4pm.

The FDNY report said that three manhole covers were blown, all nearby. The street is now closed and crews are on the scene making repairs.

The NYPD said the kids and the adult with them were taken to New York Presbyterian and were in stable condition. They said the Fire Department is investigating; I also have a call in to to ConEd to better understand *how* this could happen.

M. said the staff from Tribeca Pediatrics came out to help the kids; police officers were also on the scene almost immediately. S. who also lives nearby, said they heard the explosion in the apartment and thought at first it was a car crash, but it seemed too loud even for that.

I will update when I learn more from the FDNY or ConEd.