Crews work to repair underground Lynn fire

LYNN – National Grid crews were to work Monday night into this morning repairing damage caused by an underground power line fire that limited Union Street traffic to one lane from Silsbee Street to Central Square.The 3:52 a.m. fire sent smoke and flames billowing from a manhole in front of the Lynn Community Health Center and set off alarms in the 269 Union St. building.National Grid spokesman David Graves said 170 utility customers lost power after the fire. Those customers were restored by 10:30 a.m. Monday, but Graves said utility crews shut down power Monday evening to the center and other customers in order to make repairs.He said the repairs were scheduled to be completed by early this morning but said crews would continue working on Union Street probably through Thursday replacing damaged power lines with new cable.?No power disruptions are planned,” Graves said.Drivers and lower Union Street shoppers and center patients should anticipate possible traffic restrictions on Union for the next couple of days.The Monday fire impacted the Harrington School where Principal Debra Ruggiero said the clocks stopped at 6:15 a.m.Most of the school?s 630 students arrive at the Friend Street building at 7 a.m. and Ruggiero said parents who opted to return home with their children were allowed to do so while teachers kept students who remained at the school inside rooms with ample exterior light.Ruggiero said power returned to the school between 8:15 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., and she estimated one-half to two-thirds of Harrington students attended school Monday in the underground fire?s wake.Graves said initial investigations indicated a “secondary” underground cable caught fire. He said utility crews let the cable “burn itself out” and cleared smoke away before investigating to the determine the fire?s precise origin. Graves speculated but could not confirm that heavy snow and rainfall created conditions for an electrical malfunction.?With all the snow melting, there is a lot of water underground,” Graves said.The block affected by the cable fire has a half dozen businesses and other addresses, including the center and the Fabens building, home to 75 residents.