Manhole Fire Causes Thousands In Damage

NORWOOD, MA — A President's Day weekend manhole fire resulted in thousands of dollars in damage, according to the town's light department head.

James Collins, superintendent of the Norwood Light Department, told the selectmen Tuesday that Sunday's fire at the at the intersection of Guild and Washington streets was caused by a gas buildup in the manhole. Collins said the blaze was quite a challenge and caused 738 Washington St. to lose power.

During repair work the next day, workers for National Gird hit a concrete duct bank, leading to more work on damaged cables. Crews had to dig up part of a sidewalk to make the needed repairs and National Grid made repairs to a gas valve

Repairs were finished by about 8 p.m. Monday night.

The damage is estimated to be around $61,000, according to Collins. He said the town should be able to recover at least $10,000 from National Grid.

"I feel very comfortable that we'll get at least ($10,000). The rest, we'll see how that goes. We'll give it our best effort for sure," he said.

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