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Underground explosion possibly weather-related, Quincy fire chief says

QUINCY, Mass. -- Quincy police and other emergency responders spent Tuesday evening on the scene of an underground explosion on the city center on Hancock Street.

The explosion happened around 3:30 p.m., and as of 10 p.m. crews were still working to restore power in the area.

“You could feel it like I could feel it through the floor and the door would shake a little bit,” Mike Beck, an employee at a nearby store, said.

According to the fire chief, it was likely caused by the large amount of water from heavy heavy rain that fell Tuesday.

“What firefighters found on scene was a grate with fire underneath it, so we knew we had potentially charged wires,” Quincy Fire Chief Joseph Barron said. “I can look in the manhole and I can see about four feet of water.”

Because the flames were caused by electricity and so close to the water, the Boston Fire Department was called in to bring a chemical called "fire ice," a powder-based product used to smother flames.

Hancock Street was closed from Hannon Parkway to Granite Street after the explosion. Businesses in the area were also evacuated while crews fought the ensuing fire. Power workers are expected to be in the area overnight working to restore electricity.

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