Underground fire disrupts power and transit in Philadelphia

An underground fire in Philadelphia caused significant disruption this morning. The fire happened on the 3100 block of Market Street, near the city's largest train station. It led to an explosion of a manhole cover and resulted in a power outage affecting two blocks. Emergency crews responded quickly and worked through the early hours. By 7 a.m., power had mostly returned to Market Street, but some areas in University City remained without electricity. Traffic was also impacted due to lane closures, but by the morning rush hour, traffic lights were operational again. The fire also affected mass transit services. 30th Street Station, which serves both Amtrak and SEPTA, lost power and had to rely on a backup generator. While train services were mostly on time, some Amtrak trains faced delays. SEPTA indicated that their services were running, but some elevators and escalators might be down due to the power issues. Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the underground fire and the subsequent power outages.