The intersection of North 4th and Court Street in Reading was closed following a report of a manhole explosion Tuesday afternoon. The WEEU building was initially evacuated as firefighters found smoke in the basement.
Upon arrival, responders encountered smoke emanating from the manhole, with individuals in both the Reading Eagle and WEEU buildings reporting a scent of electrical burning and a possible presence of natural gas within WEEU.
In light of the potential hazards, gas supplies to the WEEU building were promptly shut off, and Met-Ed, the local electric utility company, was requested to investigate the unfolding situation. Speaking with the deputy fire chief on scene, it was revealed that preliminary assessments suggest a faulty wire in the street may be the root cause of the incident.
No injuries were reported during the incident as crews worked diligently to ventilate the WEEU building.
The intersection of North 4th and Court Street was closed to traffic for less than an hour and has since reopened.
