Video shows explosion that sent manhole cover flying in Worcester
WORCESTER - Worcester business owners in the area of Franklin and Grafton Streets are thankful that no one was hurt after powerful manhole explosions happened nearby on Saturday night.
"It just blew me away. I was just saying my God, thank God nobody was injured," said Marc Guinette, the owner of MB Lounge.
The surveillance camera on the corner of Guinette's business captured the whole incident. The video shows a Worcester fire truck parked on Franklin Street just after 6 p.m. on January 11.
Manhole cover lands near SUV
Then, smoke starts to come out of one of the manholes. An explosion is heard, and a burst of flame comes out of another manhole. Then, the video shows a manhole cover launching into the air and clanging back down again.
In the video, a silver SUV is seen approaching the intersection before the manholes explode. Guinette says the woman who drove that car reached out to him when she saw his video on Facebook.
"She did text me saying thanks for the video footage because I was the woman in the silver car and that manhole cover came down three feet from my vehicle and I'm just thankful I'm still alive," he said.
The Worcester Fire Department says firefighters first responded to the scene for a report of a smoking manhole cover. National Grid and Eversource were also called to the scene. Firefighters and utility workers checked neighboring businesses for dangerous gas but did not find any. The cause of the explosions is still under investigation.
"We were contacted by the Worcester Fire Department as part of the emergency response. We thoroughly surveyed our system and equipment for any possible damage. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation," a spokesperson for Eversource told WBZ-TV.
Eversource is the gas provider for the city of Worcester and National Grid is the electric provider.
