Explosion out our window

There was an enormous steampipe explosion in midtown Manhattan yesterday evening, and it was right out our window.

Yesterday I was on the phone with Jake when I started hearing a deep, low rumbling noise coming from somwhere... the kind of sound that makes it hard to hear other things.

I casully placed my hand on our big picture window, and the whole window was vibrating! Still chatting with Jake, I took a step closer to the window to see if there was a big truck idling on the street below, and I saw one of the scariest things anyone can see... cars peeling out and dozens of people running frantically through the street, looking over their shoulders as they bolted away from something.

I turned to the left and saw, three blocks away, an enormous explosion-like plume erupting from my street 3 blocks north of our building. "I ! Um! Jake! ... I'm going to have to call you back!"



What is it? Should I leave? I'm a few blocks away, it seems safe. What if this rupture grows or spreads closer or something? I was freaking out. The area affected is almost directly between The Chrysler Building and Grand Central Terminal -- two landmarks, and likely targets for terrorism. My inial fear was that there was a bomb set off in the subway station... but I quickly realized that a) the station doesnt run that far south, and b) no bomb would continue to vent like this.

Within less than a minute, police, rescue, and fire were everywhere. Kudos to these guys for being on the ball! I frantically called Lily (aah, why wont she pick up??) and finally got her on IM. Whew, she was safe. I was so worried! We IMmed the whole time this was happening (my cell phone couldn't connect) and kept each other company.

I grabbed my camera and took the video above. Photos don't convey the power and speed at which this 30-story column of smoke & debris was erupting from the street. The first porton of the video is from literally moments after it began. It looked very much like a volcanic eruption. (It made me think of the movie "Volcano" where an active volcano begins erupting under LA or something silly like that.) My initial guess was that it was a ruptured steam pipe, which turned out to be the case.

Everything's fine now, and we're both safe. The road is closed at the corner below us, so thankfully we can come & go without crossing police tape. There are about 5 news vans in front of our place.