Underground Fire Causes Blackout & Commuter Chaos in University City & Center City Philadelphia

It's been a busy morning just ahead of the Tuesday morning rush hour. An underground fire near the biggest train station in the city could have an affect your commute.

Underground Fire Reported on Market Street

Officials say an underground fire was reported on the 3100 block of Market Street. It resulted in a manhole cover explosion.

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Two blocks in the immediate area lost power. Emergency crews were on the scene for most of the early morning hours.

Traffic on Market Street was affected by lane closures around 5 a.m. However, by 7 a.m., it appeared as if mostly just PECO crews remained in the area.

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Traffic lights are working and it appeared as if the power outage remained in a portion of University City (affecting as many as two blocks).

Good news is that it does appear as if crews made progress and the power has mostly returned to Market Street.

30th Street Station Affected By Power Outages

The early morning fire also is affective mass transit.

30th Street Station, a hub of travel for Amtrak and SEPTA was affected by the power outage.

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Officials tell the media that 30th street station is running on a backup generator. Train service is running mostly on time, however, we have noticed that some Amtrak trains have been delayed.

SEPTA says that service is operational but warns that some of their elevators and escalators may be affected by the power issues.

It's unclear what cause this morning’s fire or power outages.