An explosion from a manhole in Cambridge shut down part of Harvard Square to traffic on Wednesday, with police and firefighters investigating what happened.
The Cambridge Fire Department initially posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about a structure fire on Brattle Street at around 8:34 a.m. A follow-up from that post at 8:55 a.m. said companies were “working on a manhole fire in the area,” that police were directing traffic and that Eversource was en route.
No injuries were reported, Cambridge police posted at 9:17 a.m. Officers closed off Harvard Square to pedestrian and vehicle traffic. People in the nearby buildings were evacuated, the fire department said at 9:36 a.m.
“If at all possible, people should continue to avoid traveling through Harvard Square until further notice,” police posted at 10:19 a.m. “We will send an additional update when the scene has been cleared.”
Operations were still underway as firefighters were “ventilating carbon monoxide (while in full PPE and SCBA) from several exposure buildings” at 10:54 a.m., the fire department said.
What might have caused the explosion has not been determined.
