Houses were evacuated Wednesday after a gas main exploded and sent flames shooting into the air in Medfield, Massachusetts.
"It was impressive," said Medfield Police Chief Robert Meaney. "I hadn't seen anything like that in quite a long period of time."
Flames rose from the intersection of South Street and Philip Street around 4 p.m.
Officials evacuated homes and asked people to leave playing fields in the area.
"The flames were probably about a third of a way up the telephone pole," said Meaney.
The explosion happened while a crew from Columbia Gas was repairing a gas line. No one was injured as workers were able to escape from the hole in which they were working when the gas ignited.
No personal property was affected, but the flames reached the power lines, cutting off power to about a dozen homes.
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"A friend of my son has no power, can't cook dinner, so we're taking his friend to our house for the night," said Ken Kaeller.
Brian Cavanaugh just got his power restored Wednesday night.
"It was out for a little while, but it came back on," he said. "It seems like it's OK now."
The family next door, though, was still waiting for power to return.
Officials said power should be restored to all residents at some point Wednesday night. The road, officials said, should be reopened in time for the Thursday morning commute.
