Underground fire leaves many without power in River Market

Many River Market businesses remained without power late Wednesday night after an underground fire that began around 11 a.m.

Kansas City firefighters ordered the evacuation of about three blocks in the River Market to battle the fire.

Firefighters soon had the fire under control, said Kansas City Fire Department Battalion Chief James Garrett, and department officials joined representatives of Kansas City Power & Light in investigating the cause.

By late afternoon, 37 KCP&L customers still remained without power, said utility spokeswoman Rebecca Galati.

“Right now we are currently making repairs to the underground cable that was related to the fire, but the fire’s cause is still being investigated,” she said.

Fire crews responding to an area near Third and Main streets used large fans to direct air through manhole covers to clear the smoke underground.

No injuries were reported, Garrett said.

This story was originally published July 9, 2014 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Underground fire leaves many without power in River Market."