Photo: City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department
A dramatic video captured the moment a grandmother and her two grandchildren narrowly escaped a manhole explosion in Poughkeepsie, New York, on Sunday (April 20). Lisa Davis was walking with her grandchildren after an Easter egg hunt when the incident occurred. Just seconds after they walked over the manhole, it exploded, sending debris and concrete into the air.
Davis, recounting the harrowing experience, told WABC, "I was like, 'Oh my God,' I didn't know where to go." She quickly grabbed her grandson and ran, narrowly avoiding the blast. The explosion was part of a chain reaction that saw three manholes erupt in the area.
The Poughkeepsie Fire Department responded swiftly, finding high levels of gas in the craters left by the explosions. All buildings on the block were evacuated until gas levels were reduced. A spokesperson for Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. stated that the explosion resulted from an electrical fault on an underground cable, not related to the natural gas distribution system.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. Davis expressed her shock after seeing the footage, realizing how close her family came to danger. Her grandson, however, seemed less fazed, saying, "I'm kind of scared, but I wasn't that scared."
The Poughkeepsie Fire Department released a video showing Davis walking over the manhole seconds before it exploded.