Hey. Why’s The Sidewalk Smoking?

A small plume of smoke wafted up from beneath a cracked sidewalk on Orange Street — occasionally crackling into fiery red sparks, and perplexing a crew of nearby firefighters trying to find its source.

That smoky mystery played out on the sidewalk right in front of a surface parking lot Monday afternoon right next door to legal aid’s office building at 205 Orange St. and across the street from the municipal office building at 200 Orange.

Two firefighters on the scene just before 2 p.m. bent down to keep an eye on the smoke and sparks flying up from the sidewalk as curious passersby walked in the street to avoid the potentially perilous stretch, and as firefighter colleagues sought to turn off the power inside the adjacent legal aid office building.

“We don’t know what it is,” one firefighter said as a spark popped up from where the parking lot met the sidewalk.

New Haven Fire Department (NHFD) Lt. Wayne Vetre came outside of the legal aid building five minutes later and confirmed that the power had been turned off inside the building and that there was no danger to walkers or drivers heading into the lot. He then instructed his firefighter colleagues to tape off the area with yellow ​“Do Not Cross” tape just to be safe.

So. What happened, and what caused the spark from the sidewalk?

NHFD Asst. Chief Justin McCarthy told the Independent by text message it ​“sounds like an old electrical unit for the driveway gate malfunctioned and caused some arcing. Crews were able to secure the power from the building. People on the property were going to contact the building management to facilitate repairs. Crews ensured there was no further hazard. They operated on the scene for about 30 minutes.”