Residents of a busy area in Edinburgh had their afternoon rocked after a pavement exploded on Monday.
Locals in Stockbridge described hearing loud bangs and seeing smoke pouring from a manhole at the junction of Raeburn Place and Portgower Place on Monday July 3. An underground explosion in a Scottish Power electrical junction box sent debris flying into the street.
Police and fire officers were called to the scene, erecting a cordon to protect the public as shocked passersby looked on, reports Edinburgh Live. One local said she saw a man with a "melted" jacket in the aftermath.
Eyewitness Fay Garden was sitting on the upstairs terrace of the Raeburn Hotel at the time of the blast and called the police. The hotel is on the junction of the streets where the explosion occurred.
She said: "We were sitting on the upstairs terrace of the Raeburn hotel bar and heard a loud bang. We looked over the side being nosey and saw the manhole cover like that, with black debris and smoke coming out of the hole.
"There was a guy who was brushing the back of his jacket. It looked slightly melted.
"Then we phoned the police who called the water fairies. They all arrived about five to 10 minutes later."
Images from the scene show a number of police and fire vehicles at the junction. The manhole cover had been dislodged by the force of the blast.
Police Scotland has confirmed it attended the scene. It is not known if anyone was injured.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 4.14pm on Monday, July 3 to an incident at Portgower Place, Edinburgh. Operations Control mobilised one fire appliance to an underground electrical junction box which had exploded affecting a manhole cover.
"Crews ensured the area was made safe before leaving the scene in the hands of Scottish Power." Scottish Power were contacted for comment.
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