Electrical equipment caught fire underground in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, resulting in large billowing smoke coming from below the sidewalk.
The fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. near the intersection of 2nd Avenue and 4th Street, and was the result of failure of Xcel Energy equipment, according to a spokesperson for the electricity provider. Some in the area experienced brief power outages before generators kicked in.
Light rail cars with Metro Transit were unable to travel for about an hour through the area due to the fire, Metro Transit spokesman Drew Kerr said.
The utility provider hoped to have the equipment fully repaired and normal power restored before midnight, according to the Xcel spokesperson.
