Moment giant fireball blows manhole open in middle of busy NYC street

An explosion in the middle of a busy New York City street blew a manhole into the air as terrified onlookers scrambled.

Shocking video captured the moment an enormous fireball erupted on Central Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn about 5.21pm on Thursday afternoon.

It is understood both the manhole and at least one nearby car went up in flames after the explosion.

Firefighters were already on the scene responding to reports of elevated carbon monoxide levels.

Multiple cars were traveling through the intersection at the time of the explosion, and several others were parked nearby.

Screams erupted as witnesses fled the area and car alarms began to sound outside the Deli & Grill corner store.

Several crews worked to get the fire under control as terrified locals watched on and the flames threatened to engulf further cars.

Shocking video captured the moment an enormous fireball erupted on Central Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn about 5.21pm on Thursday afternoon

It is understood both the manhole and at least one nearby car went up in flames after the explosion

The blaze got dangerously close to corner stores and a building as crews worked to extinguish the flames.

No injuries were reported.

It marked more travel chaos for New Yorkers after torrential downpours led to widespread flooding across the Northeast on Thursday.

Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed and vehicles traveling during rush hour were caught in the deluge.

Photos and videos shared online showed cars along the Clearview Expressway in NYC submerged underwater as the rain started to fall.

Another video from inside a city bus showed the rainwaters pouring into the vehicle.

Firefighters were already on the scene responding to reports of elevated carbon monoxide levels

About 25 million Americans were under a state of emergency, with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declaring a statewide emergency.

He also issued a flash flood watch for the entire state, home to nearly 10 million people.

In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul issued a similar alert covering some of the state’s most densely populated counties, approximately 15 million New Yorkers.

The warning included all five boroughs of New York City.