New York, NY —

Consolidated Edison crews and city inspectors are continuing their search for a cause of yesterday's steam pipe eruption near Lexington Avenue and 41st Street. Con Ed has said cold water from thunderstorms may have altered pressure in the pipes, but, as WNYC's Bob Hennelly reports, it will be several weeks before officials know for sure.

Ultimately it is up to the state's Public Service Commission to determine the cause of the blast that killed one and caused the whole City to flinch. PSC inspectors were at the site soon after the explosion and will remain there as Con Ed goes though a kind of forensic re-examination of the conditions and circumstances surrounding the event. That will require removing all of the debris to get down to the 20-inch steam main that burst.

The stakes are high for the beleaguered utility because the investigation results will determine just how much liability they must assume. It's a long process. Take the case of the July 2006 Queens blackout, a PSC final staff report was not finalized until February of this year. For WNYC I am Bob Hennelly.