A failed underground high-voltage line caused an explosion between Eliot and Kirkland Houses at approximately 7 p.m. last night.

Witnesses said that after an initial smaller explosion, a second explosion blew open a maintenance hole cover with visible flames several feet high. No one was reported injured in the blast.

Kirkland House resident Carlos A. Gonzales '94 was walking with a friend along Dunster Street when he heard "a loud bang," which he thought at first was a car crash. A few seconds later, there was the "sound of electricity" and a larger explosion displaced the cover with red and orange flames.

Winthrop House resident Michael K. Mayo '94, a Crimson editor, confirmed these events and added that nearby streetlights went out after the first explosion.

Harvard Facilities Maintenance crews responded immediately after their detectors in Holyoke Center reported the line fault. Bruce D. Swanton, an electrical engineer with Facilities Maintenance, said repair work should be finished over the weekend, as workers identify and replace the failed equipment.

As the buildings served by the cable arenormally supplied by two redundant sources ofpower, there should be no noticeable difference inservice as repair work continues, Swanton said.The only effect should be the momentary loss ofservice noticed by Eliot House residents at thetime of the explosion, he added.

Air under the maintenance hole cover heatedsuddenly by the energy released from the failedcable was the direct cause of the explosion,Swanton said. What caused the wire to failinitially is still unknown.

The line should pose no danger to students nowas its circuit has been de-energized, he said