Manhole explodes in Scots city as man's jacket 'melted' by blast

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Residents of a busy area in Edinburgh had their afternoon rocked after a pavement exploded on Monday. Locals in Stockbridge described hearing loud bangs and seeing smoke pouring from a manhole at the junction of Raeburn Place and Portgower Place on Monday July 3.

An underground explosion in a Scottish Power electrical junction box sent debris flying into the street. Police and fire officers were called to the scene, erecting a cordon to protect the public as shocked passersby looked on, reports Edinburgh Live.

One local said she saw a man with a "melted" jacket in the aftermath. Eyewitness Fay Garden was sitting on the upstairs terrace of the Raeburn Hotel at the time of the blast and called the police.

The hotel is on the junction of the streets where the explosion occurred.She said: "We were sitting on the upstairs terrace of the Raeburn hotel bar and heard a loud bang.