BOSTON --
Five people were injured, and an entire street was evacuated, after a natural gas explosion in Walpole Thursday night.
Bay State Gas workers were repairing an 8-inch natural gas main in a trench at the corner of Main and Winter streets in Walpole at about 8:15 p.m. Thursday when there was an explosion, fire officials said.
Some workers received first and second-degree burns on their faces and hands.
"We had an 8-inch gas main let go in the hole and erupt in flame. We had four workers in the hole at the time and two police officers above the hole," Walpole Fire Chief Timothy Bailey Jr. said.
Witnesses said the blast could be felt several blocks away.
"I heard an explosion and then there was a huge ball of fire went up," one resident said.
"I heard a loud sound and then all of a sudden, an explosion," another resident said.
Five Bay State gas workers and a police officer were taken to Norwood Hospital with first- and second-degree burns, officials said.
Winter Street residents were evacuated from their homes as a precaution.
The exact cause of the blast is under investigation. The company said "the gas escaped or ignited when a line either ruptured or separated."
An emergency shelter was set up for displaced residents at the Walpole Senior Center. They said it took some time for the main to get shut down.
"They've been working up and down this street for quite awhile," a resident said.
