Underground fire and power outage in downtown Baltimore snarls commute and closes courthouses

BALTIMORE (AP) — An underground fire and an hourslong power outage in downtown Baltimore snarled the morning commute and closed the city’s two courthouses. The Office of Emergency Management says firefighters were called to North Charles Street on Thursday night for a report of an underground fire and a possible explosion. They found fire coming from one manhole cover. The fire affected underground electrical conduits, and power was shut down in the area. The Mitchell and Cummings courthouses were closed Friday and city transportation officials are urging people to avoid the area. Power was restored to the downtown area by 7:30 a.m., but 16 buildings were still without power.