Water infiltration caused Pottstown manhole fire

PECO has determined it was water infiltration into the underground electrical infrastructure that caused an electrical fire Sunday in Pottstown that left a PECO employee with severe burns and has part of the town running on generators.

Crews are working to fix the problem, the Mercury reports, and the discovery of the cause will also lead to a long-term fix for the downtown area’s infrastructure.

A manhole exploded Sunday afternoon while a PECO employee was working, sending him to the hospital with significant burns. Businesses operating on generators will have to stick it out for three to five more days before power can be restored.