Lynn manhole explosions smoke out Central Square, cause small blackout

LYNN – A smoky underground fire in Central Square that occurred just before 9 p.m. Saturday caused minor explosions in manholes on lower Union Street and forced power outages for at least 16 National Grid customers all day Sunday, a spokesperson for the company said.?We had to interrupt their service in order to safely make the repairs required for that underground cable we were having a problem with last night,” National Grid spokesperson Deborah Drew said.She said workers expected to have the power restored to those customers sometime Sunday evening.Lynn police and firefighters closed lower Union Street, between Market and Exchange streets, as National Grid emergency workers rushed to the scene.By 10 p.m. Saturday, thick black smoke was billowing from two manholes located in front of the open lot outside the LynnArts building at 25 Exchange St.?We have some cables burning underground and in the manholes and it caused a couple of small explosions in the manholes. But the covers did not blow off,” said Sean Gilligan, a National Grid employee on the scene with firefighters, after observing the two smoking manholes from the sidewalk under the MBTA commuter rail bridge.At about 10:05 p.m., a loud cracking noise was heard in one of the manholes, not far from Lynn Museum, and black smoke intensified.Gilligan and firefighters made sure all passersby stayed clear from the manholes.?The [work crews] are on their way and they?re going to have to go down in there and do their work and it?s nasty down there. Power will have to be shut off for them to do that work,” Gilligan said Saturday.There were no injuries reported from the incident, Gilligan said.National Grid crews have been doing extensive underground work on Union Street and in Central Square over the past few weeks for what Drew called an “electrical upgrade,” but it was unclear how the incident would affect it.?I don?t know, honestly, if this will interrupt the plan schedule,” Drew said Sunday. “But I don?t think it would be significant if it did because clearly we?re clearly doing what we have to fix it right now.”Sean Leonard can be reached at [email protected]. Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].