The D.C. fire department says there's been a massive rupture of a steam pipe under the street near 17th and H Streets in Northwest.
Spokesman Alan Etter says two men who were working on the manhole at the time suffered head-to-toe injuries and were rushed to the Washington Hospital Center to be treated for their burns.
A third person suffered minor injuries.
Etter says a mini work station had been set up in the area of the explosion and that work was ongoing on the steam pipe that ruptured. Authorities say the force of the explosion blew the two injured men out of the manhole. The injured have only been identified as contract workers for the General Services Administration.
The explosion happened at about 9 a.m. Friday.
Etter says the superheated steam can reach up to 1,200 degrees.
"I saw a big woosh," one eyewitness told News4. "Manhole covers flew out of the street. Some people were dragging a man from the scene."
The GSA says it delivers steam to federal office buildings to provide both heat and hot water for tenants.
