Local

Manhole cover explodes in Boston leaving hundreds without power

BOSTON — Hundreds of people were impacted by a power outage in Boston’s South End. Witnesses say it all started about 5:15 PM when a manhole cover blew off and smoke shot out of the ground below at the corner of Harrison Avenue and East Concord Street.

Then they saw a plume of black smoke shoot out from below the street and they tell Boston 25 this kept happening every couple of minutes.

At about the same time witnesses say the lights started dimming and went out in a couple of adjacent buildings.

Boston Police shut down Harrison Ave. for a few blocks while firefighters and Eversource crews checked manholes trying to find out how this started.

At one point that same color smoke started to rise from a second manhole cover two blocks away.

That’s when police pushed back a crowd and closed down Harrison right to the corner of Massachusetts Avenue.

An Eversource spokesperson tells Boston 25 this stems from a failed line below Harrison Ave.

In a statement, Eversource tells Boston 25:

“We received calls from customers in the area reporting dimming lights. Our crews responded and isolated the line to prevent further damage. About 200 customers are without power, roughly the residents of two buildings,” said an Eversource Spokesperson.

Eversource crews remained on the scene late into the night on Wednesday hoping to get everyone back online as soon as possible.

And at this point, they’re still trying to find what caused the problem.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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