Residents of New York City are wondering why more than 200 manholes have caught fire in the last few days alone.

The fiery explosions have left several unsuspecting people injured, with the covers, weighing 100 pounds or more, shooting out of the ground , Fox Connecticut reported. The blasts have blown out windows, damaged cars and forced some people out of their dwellings, the report added.

Here's why these explosions are so common this time of year. According to electric company Con Edison, salt used to treat roadways can seep into the underground wiring beneath city streets, and that erosion can release a gas that explodes when sparked, Fox Connecticut also reported.

(MORE: )

A Con Ed spokesperson told NBC New York that the company . But until they can remedy the problem, it's likely that the Big Apple will see more of winter weather's most bizarre side effect.

"We oversalt the roads and when it melts, it goes into the manholes and the chemicals erode the wires, ," an FDNY source told The New York Daily News.

Road salt will likely be placed on the city's streets again in the coming days, as a pair of snowmaking systems over the next week.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Winter Storm Juno

An unidentified town official helps Greg Longo, left, remove belongings from his house after it was heavily damaged by ocean waves during a winter storm in Marshfield, Mass., Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. The storm has punched out a section of the seawall in the coastal town of Marshfield, police said. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)