Lesley University campus evacuated after manhole fire

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A fire in a manhole on Oxford Street near the Lesley University campus in Cambridge caused college officials to order an evacuation, but no injuries were reported and students were able to return to their classrooms this afternoon.

The fire broke out when an underground cable failed around 1 p.m., said Mike Durand, a spokesman for NStar.

Durand said that as of late afternoon most of the 1,200 customers who had lost their power had seen their service restored because the company was able to reroute power to them. He said that within several hours, all the customers would have their service restored, though some Lesley buildings would have to get their power from a generator until lines are repaired.

Lesley spokesman Bill Doncaster said power had been going on and off around the campus. He said students were able to return to most 2:30 p.m. classes, though a few were canceled. By 6 p.m, he said, all the buildings on campus had reopened.

Fire Chief Gerald Reardon said NStar workers would have to wait until the concrete vaults carrying the cables cooled down and the smoke and water were pumped out before they could figure out what went wrong and make repairs.

"I think they're going to have to get down there and evaluate," he said.

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email