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Nov 05, 2023

Manhole cover lands on roof of Somerville, Massachusetts, home after explosion

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A manhole cover launched into the air and landed on the roof of a three-story home after an explosion in Somerville, Massachusetts, early Thursday.

Eversource said the explosion was caused by a damaged cable.

Firefighters were called at 4:30 a.m. to Cross Street and McGrath Highway. When crews arrived, smoke was coming out of three other manholes.

The blast was so forceful that it shot the metal cover into the air before it landed on the home, piercing the roof.

The windows of the home were also shattered, and the front door sustained damage.

A family was home at the time of the incident; however, no injuries were reported.

Eversource was at the scene surveying the damage. At one point, 1,500 customers were without power after the incident.

"While investigating the cause of (Tuesday) morning's outage and manhole incident in Somerville, our crews assessing underground equipment in the area of Cross Street and McGrath Highway located damage along an underground cable indicating a fault," the company said in a statement. "We are currently making necessary repairs to that cable, and we are also installing an energy-release manhole cover at the site."

Video below: Manhole cover lands on roof of home

Last year, Eversource unveiled a new, latching manhole cover that was being installed in Boston.

An energy-releasing mechanism allows the manhole cover to slightly lift up about three to four inches to release the pressure without sending the cover airborne before it drops back into place.

Eversource planned to replace all 6,000 manhole covers in Boston with the new covers by the end of 2023.