Melissa reports that shortly after 3 p.m., a manhole in Cambridge Street between the Charles/MGH Red Line station and MGH itself exploded.

At least one other manhole also blew up.

The MBTA evacuated the station and then halted service on both side of the Red Line as a precaution. The T scrounged up some buses to run shuttles between Park and Kendall, although BFD gave its OK to run trains through Charles/MGH, just without stopping.

Black-smoke belcher. Photo by Lee Dykxhoorn:

The Liberty Hotel lost power.

Lindsey O'Donnell Welch reported: