WELLESLEY, MASS. (WHDH) - A series of manhole explosions sparked power outages in Wellesley on Thursday night.
Police officers temporarily shut down the stretch of State Street between Atwood and Washington streets as utility crews inspect a series of manholes.
Wellesley Deputy Fire Chief Charles DiGiandomenico said they were originally alerted to the problem after a number of fire alarms were triggered inside nearby businesses.
DiGiandomenico believes the fire sparked somewhere near the intersection and caused three manholes to emit flames and smoke. Two of the manholes exploded.
People in the area said they could smell smoke.
“I could smell the rubber burning,” said Sajith Aravandan, who works nearby.
The municipal utility company shut down power to the area immediately. Outages lingered until crews finished inspecting and repairing the damaged equipment.
No one was injured in the incident.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Fire and utility crews are at the scene of what they say was a series of manhole explosions at Washington and State in Wellesley. No injuries, although there are some power outages in the area. More at 10 #7News pic.twitter.com/LO80HaKQkG
— Justin Bourke (@JBourkeTweets) November 15, 2019
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