Girl Burned By Explosion Near Harlem Con Ed Site, Report Says

HARLEM, NY — A 14-year-old girl is lucky to be alive after being burned by an explosion near a Con Edison work site in Harlem, according to reports.

Spirit Jones was walking with her mother Erica Jones on West 133rd Street and Lenox Avenue when the two stepped on a protective mat near a Con Ed work site, Pix 11 News first reported. When the two stepped on the mat, "sparks flew" the mother told Pix 11.

"I heard the sparks, I won’t lie I jumped," Erica Jones told Pix 11. "The sparks just flew I jumped and I pushed her back and I saw her leg smoking."

Spirit Jones told the news station she heard a loud explosion before noticing her pants were singed and her shoes were burnt. The 10th grader suffered second-degree burns to her ankle, but it could have been much worse. Emergency responders and doctors told Erica Jones that the explosion could have killed her daughter, she told Pix 11.

"That sends a chilling feeling through your body," Erica Jones told Pix 11.

Con Ed told the news station that the explosion was caused by a damaged temporary wire that has since been replaced.

Read the full Pix 11 story here.

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images News/Getty Images