UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A manhole fire at a busy Upper East Side intersection snarled morning traffic in the neighborhood, fire officials and witnesses said.

Firefighters arrived at the intersection of East 79th Street and Third Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. to battle the manhole fire, an FDNY spokesman told Patch. As of this writing, firefighters and Con Edison workers are still operating on the scene.

Witnesses took to social media to detail the response, which shut down traffic at the intersection.

(For more Upper East Side news, subscribe to Patch to get a daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.)

“E79th and 3rd Ave shut down from an electrical fire. We heard an explosion a few minutes ago.” one witness said in a Twitter post.

Upper East Side Patch