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Detroit plans to introduce a new training program that could make students eligible for hire as firefighters right out of high school.

(Yfat Yossifor | Mlive file)

Although firefighters said underground explosions in downtown Detroit don't pose risks to public, police report flying manhole covers. — Motor City Muckraker (@MCmuckraker) August 25, 2016

DETROIT -- There were numerous social media reports of loud explosions heard in Downtown Detroit between midnight and 1 a.m. Thursday.

DTE Energy confirmed at least one explosion occurred about 12:30 a.m. Thursday near Washington and Michigan Avenue and issued this statement about 11 a.m. Thursday:

DTE Energy crews have been working since early this morning at the site of a suspected underground power cable failure in downtown Detroit. The immediate vicinity of the incident is safe and secure as crews prepare to conduct inspections of underground electrical equipment in the area. Safety of our workers and the public is our highest priority and crews will remain on the scene until the long-term safety of the site is assured.

The event, which was reported as an underground explosion, occurred about 12:30 a.m. today. It did not cause any injuries or power outages. When underground high-voltage cables fail, they release energy into a confined space. That typically causes an explosive noise.

That's why we are focused on inspecting the underground electrical equipment in the area. The network power system in downtown Detroit is designed with redundant capabilities so a cable failure may not cause power outages.

Representatives for the Detroit People Mover, the above-ground rail system in Downtown Detroit, issued a statement about 6:30 a.m. Thursday saying services were halted due to "a utility malfunction."

All but one People Mover station reopened by 11 a.m. Thursday.

"The Times Square station will remain closed until further notice until clean-up is complete," Detroit People Mover representatives said in a statement.

MLive couldn't immediately reach representatives of the Detroit police or fire departments for comment Thursday morning.

WDIV-TV, Channel 4 News reports lodgers at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel downtown were evacuated about 12:20 a.m. and allowed to return to their rooms about 1:40 a.m.

A representative from the hotel at Washington Boulevard and Michigan Avenue told MLive he could not confirm nor deny the evacuation and to call back for comment from the daytime manager after 11 a.m.

My mom & dads hotel in Detroit got evacuated due to an "explosion". Mom ran out with her hair in rollers and her bottle of wine. 😂😂😂 — Amanda (@amanda311ca) August 25, 2016

Some witnesses reported seeing smoke in the area and hearing multiple explosions.

Emergency dispatchers about 1 a.m. Thursday said over police radio that DTE crews and Detroit firefighters were "staged" near Grand River and Times Square downtown.

Another smaller explosion, light smoke rising from near Michigan Ave. and Cass. #Detroit #explosion — JSky (@Skittnator) August 25, 2016

The Motor City Muckraker reported on a number of underground utility fires in downtown Detroit last summer, some that resulted in explosions that ejected heavy manhole covers into the air.