Pottstown Streets Remain Closed After Blast, PECO Working

POTTSTOWN, PA — An under-street explosion in Pottstown on Friday afternoon closed streets over the weekend as a manhole blew and emergency crews flooded into downtown, news outlets reported over the weekend.

Pottstown Borough said PECO is working in an area of High Street from Hanover to Charlotte streets, but did not provide an official explanation of what caused the explosion.

On Sunday afternoon the borough announced, "High Street will be closed in both directions from Hanover to Charlotte Streets. Hanover Street northbound will be open. Hanover Street southbound will be closed between King Street and Security Plaza. PECO continues working in the area and hopes to have the roadways open by Monday morning. Please check back for updates."

69WFMZ News reported a manhole exploded in downtown Pottstown on Friday afternoon, a sidewalk was broken up and windows shattered in the area. Their report said an underground fire has caused a huge scene in Montgomery County, but the story did not state the source of that information. Homes in the area were evacuated, the report said.

As of 10 a.m. Monday the borough had not announced the streets were reopened. An alert issued Sunday afternoon also said Manatawny Street is closed between King and Beech Streets until further notice.

A boil advisory put in place on March 17 in Pottstown Borough was lifted on Saturday. The borough said it had met the requirements for two consecutive days of negative sampling and that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has authorized the boil water notice to be lifted. Read that Patch story here.

Make sure you know what's happening in your town. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss any local news: https://patch.com/subscribe.