POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – A routine family outing turned into a near disaster for a grandmother and her grandchildren in Poughkeepsie when a series of manhole explosions sent debris flying into the air. The incident occurred as Lisa Davis and her two young grandchildren were enjoying a walk following an Easter egg hunt.
The calm of the afternoon was abruptly shattered when a manhole exploded just feet from where the family was walking, sending concrete and debris into the sky. “I was like, where do I go?” Davis recalled, the fear still evident in her voice as she recounted the terrifying moment.
Instinctively, Davis grabbed her grandson and ran, but their escape route was cut off as another manhole explosion occurred further down the street. “I couldn’t really run straight ahead of me to the corner because the manhole at the next corner blew up too,” she explained.
The incident involved at least three manholes that exploded in quick succession. Firefighters arrived on the scene within minutes and detected high levels of gas in the craters left by the blasts. Fortunately, Davis and her grandchildren were unharmed, but the experience left them shaken.
Davis only grasped the full extent of their close call after the fire department released a video of the explosions. “A foot. One foot of losing my family,” she said, describing the narrow margin by which they escaped harm.
While Davis remains apprehensive about walking on the sidewalks, her six-year-old grandson seems to have taken the ordeal in stride, expressing that he felt “kind of scared” but is otherwise doing fine.
The exact cause of the explosions remains under investigation, with authorities examining the underground infrastructure to determine the source of the gas that led to the blasts. The city has assured residents that they are taking steps to ensure public safety and prevent future incidents.
Firefighters and emergency personnel continue to monitor the area, and the city has urged residents to report any unusual smells or signs of gas leaks immediately. As the investigation continues, the community remains on edge, hoping for answers and reassurance.