Received word that there is a fire on Church Street. Police have cleared the area.
UPDATE 3:11 PM: Power is out in the area of the explosion. Emergency officials are warning people to stay away from manholes. PSE&G officials are "no commenting" reporters. Channel 2 News is on the scene. Epernay, the French restaurant across Bloomfield Ave., is offering cold drinks to people evacuated from Church Street.
UPDATE 3:02 PM: Another explosion. Word is that there's an underground power grid. More businesses, along Park Street, are being cleared. So far businesses aren't being evacuated on Bloomfield Ave.
UPDATE 2:58 PM: Liz reports that the situation remains volatile, with a loud explosion just happening a minute ago. Liz said she could feel the explosion from a block away, and that acrid smoke is drifting throughout the area.
UPDATE 2:50 PM: Liz is on the scene: A manhole, directly in front of the Siena building, was spewing fire and smoke. Although the flames have stopped, smoke is still coming out, and firefighters don't appear to know the cause or how dangerous the situation may be.
Meanwhile, merchants on Church Street and South Park Street have been asked to evacuate their businesses.
Just stumbled upon this while out to get a coffee. The street is blocked off - of course, and a plume of brown smoke going up. Emerg. Svcs all over the place. The smoke also just seemed to hover there in the heat making an already unpleasant day more depressing. It looked to be half way up the street on the right side.