A significant electrical cable malfunction triggered smoke and intense heat to emanate from multiple manholes on Newbury Street, leading to the urgent evacuation of several buildings in the vicinity, according to officials from Eversource. This incident occurred on a Tuesday night and prompted swift action from utility crews who were still engaged in repairs by the following Wednesday.
The disruption affected 14 customers who temporarily lost their electricity supply. Fortunately, power has since been restored, with some residents relying on generator power as a temporary solution, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the utility company.
Doug Foley, who serves as the president of Massachusetts electrical operations at Eversource, explained that the issue stemmed from a single manhole located near the intersection of Dartmouth and Newbury streets, where a secondary electrical cable connection experienced failure.
"What happened was an electrical short in that manhole, which consequently resulted in a fire," Foley clarified during an interview on Wednesday. He also noted that the damaged cable consisted of copper encased in a neoprene jacket—this durable material is designed to withstand water exposure and extreme temperatures.
Repair teams have been diligently removing the faulty cable and installing a new one. Foley reassured the public that the area remains safe for both pedestrians and vehicles, although construction crews are currently collaborating with the city to finalize repairs.
The malfunction resulted in a surge of heat and smoke that escaped through nearby manholes interconnected by underground conduits, but Foley assured that no damage occurred to the other manholes in the area. In response to the incident, the Boston Fire Department executed evacuations of several buildings after detecting carbon monoxide, a dangerous byproduct of electrical fires. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries reported, and city officials allowed reentry into the buildings later on.
Fire officials characterized the event as “explosions” involving six manholes along Newbury Street; however, Foley contested this description, asserting that it was more accurately an electrical fault than an explosion. "I wouldn’t classify it as an explosion; it’s more of an electrical failure," he stated. "Given the nature of electricity flowing, energy is released from the conductor to the ground, resulting in heat and smoke... It certainly does not fit the strict definition of an explosion."
Foley suggested that bystanders who reported hearing loud noises likely witnessed electricity discharging into the ground, a common occurrence during underground electrical failures. This incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced in maintaining Boston's extensive underground electrical infrastructure, much of which lies beneath streets that were laid out long before modern utilities were established. While underground cables are engineered to function even when submerged, they remain susceptible to corrosion and wear over time.
Foley indicated that winter weather may have played a role in the cable failure, particularly following a recent snowstorm that dumped nearly two feet of snow in the Boston area. The combination of snowmelt and road salt can infiltrate manholes, creating a corrosive environment that deteriorates cable connections over time, he noted. Furthermore, the cyclical heating and cooling of cables can lead to expansion and contraction, causing wear and eventual failure.
These issues have contributed to a series of manhole incidents across Boston over the past decade. In some instances, the pressure from electrical faults has been sufficient to propel heavy cast-iron covers into the air, resulting in injuries to pedestrians and damage to surrounding property.
In response to these hazards, Eversource has introduced “energy-release” manhole covers designed to vent excess pressure while remaining secured in place. These innovative covers aim to prevent manhole lids from becoming airborne during serious electrical failures.
Foley assured that the cover at the Newbury Street repair site remained firmly in place throughout the incident on Tuesday. "We’re about 99 percent complete with the installation of energy-release covers in and around Boston," he reported, noting that he was unaware of any covers being improperly dislodged since the installation initiative began.
Eversource manages approximately 45,000 manholes statewide, with around 33,000 located in Eastern Massachusetts. Foley mentioned that the company has successfully upgraded more than 60 percent of these locations across Massachusetts, prioritizing densely populated urban areas like Boston and Cambridge first.
