IT WAS a quiet morning, with residents hurrying to work and tourists poking around.

But the peace and quiet was shattered with a boom as a manhole cover was blown high into the air. Fire roared out of the manhole, and soon, more covers were blown out into the street.

No, this particular incident didn’t happen in Savannah. It took place in Washington, D.C. in 2001, and it was followed by several others. By the time the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 wiped the story off front pages, Washington had seen as many as 50 manholes blowing their lids.

It’s a fact that old cities often have aging electrical systems and at times, power lines can go up in flames. Savannah’s Dec. 29 explosion was preceded by another explosion on Aug. 14 that blew three manhole covers on Bull Street, between Bay and Bryan streets. Both resulted in traffic problems, evacuations and business closures.

The Savannah Fire Department responded to the call on Bay Street at Drayton Street at 8:39 a.m., says Capt. Kevin Tomko. “Unfortunately, we had the same experience only four months ago in a similar situation,” he says. “The first thing I thought was, ‘Here we go again.’”

While department felt confident about handling the fire, it did pose particular challenges. “The complications were due to it being in a confined space,” Tomko says. “It was one of those deals where you have to fight the fire from the outside in. We had to go slow. Fortunately, there was no one down there to rescue or save.”

But the situation could have been dangerous, to passersby as well as firefighters. “The initial explosion could have been dangerous if there had been anybody in the immediate vicinity,” Tomko says. “The fire itself could have been dangerous, but most people saw the fire coming out of the manholes and moved away.”

The first two manholes blew at once, and the the third blew later. “The area between the manholes was engulfed in fire the whole time,” Tomko says. “It was an electrical fire and had to do with the components of the electrical system.”

Tomko hopes a similar fire doesn’t happen in the future, but knows it could. “According to Georgia Power, they’ve done everything they can to try to prevent these types of things from happening,” he says.