Have You Seen This? Exploding manholes make for a chaotic scene

A manhole erupts in smoke at this Worcester, Mass., intersection Jan. 11.

A manhole erupts in smoke at this Worcester, Mass., intersection Jan. 11. (ViralHog via YouTube)


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THE CITY — Imagine you're driving through the city with your family. It's dinner time and you're heading to your favorite restaurant. Suddenly, there's an explosion in front of your car. Through the smoke, you see a manhole cover flipping through the air like a giant POG (if you were a kid in the '90s, you'd get that reference).

You sit there stunned, in silence, as the manhole cover finally lands 100 feet away. Thankful that you weren't directly over the manhole when the blast happened.

This scenario might sound strange, but variations of it occur fairly often. Like the manhole explosion that occurred recently in Worcester, Massachusetts, at this intersection of Grafton and Franklin Streets.

I've never personally seen a manhole explode, but it apparently sometimes happens due to gasses building up below the road and then getting ignited by high-voltage cables.

Nobody was injured in this particular incident in Massachusetts. But it's easy to see how this type of explosion could easily cause serious harm. So stay alert out there next time you walk or drive past a manhole.

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Grant Olsen joined the KSL.com contributor team in 2012. He covers outdoor adventures, travel, product reviews and other interesting things.

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