CLEVELAND — A water main break led to an underground fire and a transformer explosion outside the Justice Center on Thursday, causing evacuations, road closures and power outages. Officials say it could take days to complete repairs.
It happened near West Lakeside Avenue and West 4th Street. West Lakeside Avenue between West 3rd and Ontario streets. The area was closed until right before 4 p.m.
The situation started early in the morning when water flooded Lakeside Avenue. The water seeped into an underground vault in front of the old courthouse, leading to smoke and a transformer explosion.
“I asked her if she saw anything out there, and she said she didn’t see anything but heard a loud noise,” said Tesh Patel, owner of West 3rd Deli, whose employee was nearby.
Cleveland firefighters responded quickly and saw flames inside the vault. Because it was an electrical fire, they could not use water to put it out. Power was cut to the area, and officials had to wait for the fire to burn out.
“Which caused a small fire. Which was taken care of by Cleveland Fire Department. Now it’s an electrical matter with CPP,” said Cuyahoga City Manager Chris Ronayne.
Employees at the old courthouse were evacuated and told to work from home for the day. The Justice Center remained open for a few hours but closed at noon as a precaution.
Cuyahoga County issued a statement:
This morning an underground fire occurred at Lakeside Avenue and Ontario Street. At this time, the fire has been contained, and no injuries have been reported. Lakeside Avenue is currently closed between W. 3rd and Ontario Street. There will be intermittent power outages in the area from E. 21st to W. 9th between Lakeside and Huron throughout the day. The Justice Center complex will be closed to the public until further notice. Operations within the County Jail are not affected. Please avoid Lakeside Avenue between Ontario and West 3rd. Cleveland Police are on site directing traffic. No injuries have been reported.
The county reported no injuries, but News 5 confirmed one worker was treated for smoke inhalation and is now doing fine.
Crews are expected to continue working through the weekend to restore power and repair the damage.
The courts closed at noon due to the fire.
