3 manhole covers explode on Huntington Ave.

BOSTON (WHDH) -- Part of Huntington Avenue was closed on Thursday afternoon after three manholes exploded.

About 1,500 people were left without power after the explosions.

“We had three manhole covers explode and there was fire from the manhole covers. Fire and NSTAR responded, it was quickly put out. The crews from NSTAR are currently trying to assess what happened,” said Supt. In Chief Dan Linskey of the Boston Police Department.

This comes after a transformer fire in the same area on Tuesday night. NSTAR has been working to restore power to much of Boston’s Back Bay after nearly 21,000 costumers were knocked offline following the transformer explosion.

Three manholes exploded outside of the Colonnade Hotel on Huntington Avenue around 4 p.m. Thursday. There was fire reported, but not injuries.

NSTAR says there was a sudden high demand which caused some underground cables to fail.

Witnesses said all of the sudden they heard a loud boom.

“I was coming out of the elevators and I was getting ready to go back to the Sheraton [Hotel] for a meeting and I heard this boom,” said Fran Cleland, throwing her arms in the air. “I just saw the man cover come up...It was very, very hazy. Lots of smoke, lots of debris.”

Boston police diverted traffic around the area during the evening commute.

Outages continued into Thursday evening, causing patients to wear out.

"The food in the refrigerator is spoiled. And they keep telling you that it's going to come up. I wish they'd be more honest," said David Grahling, a resident.

Residents hoped that power would be restored by Thursday night, but many were still left in the dark. Health inspectors paid a visit to restaurants that had lost power but were back in business on Thursday, to see if everything was in compliance with food codes.

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