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Electrical Cable Failure May Be Root Of Man Hole Covers Exploding Into Air

DETROIT (WWJ) - An electrical cable failure may have caused an explosion that sent three man hole covers flying into the air in front of Orchestral Hall Saturday morning.

DTE officials say the cable failure may have allowed methane gas to build up underground.

James Robinson lives near where the explosion occured.

"The lid went above the building on Parsons and Woodward, and it was just a loud explosion and the lid came down, fortunately, no one was near," said Robinson.

No one was hurt. A lucky thing according to Detroit Battalion 5 Fire Chief James Provost.

"Had this happened on Monday morning with the traffic and all the businesses and everything down here - it could have had the potential for somebody to be injured," said Provost.

There was some damage in a basement room of Orchestra Hall, according to a Detroit fire official.

A Sunday afternoon concert that was scheduled at Orchestra Hall was moved to Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor.

- Read related story here -

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