Terrified tourists run in NYC Times Square after explosion

Throngs of terrified tourists took off running in Times Square Sunday after three manhole fires led to a loud blast that one nearby resident said shook her 'whole apartment.'

Videos from the the scene show pedestrians dashing through the Crossroads of the World just before 7pm.


In a video posted to social media, a young woman films herself as crews respond to the manhole fires. The explosion is then heard and she begins to run.

'What the f***?' What the f*** was that?'

The FDNY did not reveal the reason for the manhole explosion but officials found elevated carbon monoxide levels at 229 West 43rd Street after the blast. High levels of the odorless and colorless gas, which can lead to brain damage or death, were likely caused by the entrapped manhole fires.

Firefighters were in the process of 'venting and mitigating the cellar and sub-cellar of the location' before they handed the scene over to utility companies by 9pm.

There were no injuries.

The explosion rattled an already jittery city that has seen crime skyrocket since the start of the pandemic. Overall crime is up 44.13 percent across the city from this time last year, with shooting victims up 14.5 percent.


Pedestrians run for their lives in Times Square on Sunday evening after a loud blast was heard


Video from the 24/7 EarthCam in the area shows Duffy Square packed with people on Sunday

The crowd quickly empties out of the Crossroads of the World after the inexplicable blast
  

One young woman who was recording the fire trucks in the area hears a loud bang and takes off running with the crowd nearby. Fire officials said they found three manholes on fire in the area. The cause of the fires was unknown





Overall crime in the city has risen 44 percent in the first three months of the year and police are now saying that hundreds of repeat offenders have been arrested at least three times

                                  Terrified tourists run in NYC Times Square after explosion

The blast took place as crowds were gathering outside theaters for Broadway shows in the popular tourist hub.

One video shows fearful crowds running down the sidewalk as others join in without knowing what's really happening.

'I don’t know what it is but…,' a man says in one video 'What is it? I heard something.'

The blast was likely caused by three manhole fires reported in the area, the FDNY said.

The cause of Sunday's fires has not been determined.



Footage from the 24/7 EarthCam above Duffy Square - site of Times Square's iconic red steps - shows a crowd lingering in the area just before 7pm when, suddenly, groups of people start running in one direction.

The square is partially emptied out by the time the panic dies down a few seconds later.

One nearby resident tweeted: 'Feeling relieved. With it being the start holy week, I was very scared. When I say my whole apartment shook, my goodness! Hoping to get more details on the manhole explosion. Two in two years. Wild.'

The city's fire department was assisting utility companies in finding out the cause of the manhole fires that led to the blast. The scene was turned over to the utility companies by 9pm.
Times Square manhole explosions has NY tourists running


The loud blast came as a shock to visitors of the city's most popular tourist destination as crime rates continue to rise in the Big Apple.