MIDTOWN EAST, Manhattan (WABC) — New York City officials say initial testing after a steam pipe leak in the Midtown East neighborhood of Manhattan showed no elevated levels of asbestos, but New Yorkers in the area have been urged to stay indoors while cleaning Masks.
Steam shot out of the intersection of Second Avenue and East 52nd Street, raising concerns that the broken pipe might contain asbestos. A Con Edison official said the leak began around 2 a.m. and progressively worsened.
“First we had a call about steam issues,” said Hugh Grant, vice president of steam operations at Con Edison. “As we responded and got to the scene, this condition worsened and eventually resulted in the release of steam. It was not a rupture, but rather a leak of steam in one of the auxiliary pipes of the steam system.”
Eyewitness News reporter Sonia Rincon spoke with a man and his son who saw an unusual amount of steam rising from the ground Tuesday evening.
The man grew up in the area and was visiting for the holidays, so he knew what a normal crowd looked like. He said that wasn't the case. There were thick white clouds that you might be able to see when it's extremely cold outside. He thought it was strange, so he took photos.
“We went back inside. We continued to talk about it. And then early in the morning you heard that something was going on. And then when we went out on the patio, we saw hazmat suits and dust everywhere,” Jerry Ferris said.
“I heard a loud bang. I thought, 'What is that?' I looked around my bed. I thought, “Okay, I'm safe.” And I went back to sleep. When I woke up there were hazmat men everywhere. People were being tested,” Asher Ferris said.
Due to health concerns, the NYPD and FDNY have closed East 51st to East 54th streets from First Avenue to Lexington Avenue and urged people to stay away from the area.
Fortunately, air quality tests have continued to show negative results for elevated asbestos levels and there have been no injuries, according to Mayor Eric Adams and Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol.
“Every test we have done so far has returned a negative result for asbestos in the air,” Iscol said. “The weather certainly helps. The light rain today, the rain we will have overnight will help too.”
Out of an abundance of caution, officials continue to recommend that New Yorkers living in the area wear masks, stay indoors and keep windows closed until cleaning is complete. But because the affected area is so large, authorities say it could take days to complete the cleanup.
“It extends in some areas from Second Avenue, near Park Avenue, 53rd, 52nd and 51st and then a few houses further on the east side of those streets. It is a large area that we need to start cleaning up,” Iscol said. “This will be led by Con Ed and contract teams. We expect this work to take a few days, possibly longer, simply because it is a large area.”
Shops couldn't open for hours, tourists were turned away and delivery people had to find alternative routes.
For people living and working on the East Side, the steam leak and road closures caused major headaches when trying to get to work or simply return home.
“I’m just going to grab a coffee and see when they let people through,” said Iris Meinus, who lives in the area.
For Aura Piyada, whose Thai Vegan Friendly Kitchen is in the heart of the exclusion zone, business is disrupted.
“I just received an order that resembles a delivery. I guess I wouldn’t come in,” the restaurant owner said.
On Wednesday evening, officials said residents were being allowed to return to their homes and police were escorting anyone in the area on business. However, since the steam was temporarily switched off for repairs, this means that several buildings currently have no heating.
The cause of the leak is still under investigation.
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