http://www.wptv.com/news/local-news...ing-100-feet-into-the-air-in-buffalo-new-york Ageing infrastructure with old electric cables running through our sewer system coupled with a builup of methane gas. One small spark is enough to set this off.
A few months ago we had flooding here in Syracuse. A co-worker of mine was helping someone get their car unstuck, and fell into a manhole cover that had come off. They found his body 2 miles away in the sewer system. What a horrible way to die.