Underground Explosion Prompts Evacuations In Grosse Pointe Woods

GROSSE POINTE WOODS (WWJ) - A portion of Mack Avenue was shut down for about three hours, Tuesday afternoon, following an explosion in Grosse Pointe Woods.

Police asked motorists to avoid the area of southbound Mack and Bournemouth Road — east of 7 Mile Road and north of Moross, near the St. John Medical Center d — after what authorities called "an apparent underground explosion."

Reporting from the scene, WWJ's Jon Hewett said he was told a manhole cover was blown several feet into the air, but no injuries were reported.

A few nearby businesses lost power for less than a minute after the blast occurred, at around 1:30 p.m., and were evacuated by police as a precaution.

It's unclear at the time what caused the problem, although officials said the power lines in that area are old.

DTE was notified and crews were dispatched to the scene. An investigation is ongoing.

Police directed traffic away from the problem area until the roadway reopened to traffic at around 4:30 p.m.