BOSTON, March 14 (UPI) -- Power was being restored Wednesday in downtown Boston after a fire in a transformer station darkened the area and forced the evacuation of a Hilton hotel.
The fire was reported Tuesday around 6:30 p.m., The Boston Globe reported. The smoke and the power outage that followed disrupted the end of the evening rush hour.
Guests were evacuated from the Back Bay Hilton because of concerns about the smoke, fire officials said. The hotel is next to the transformer station.
The blackout affected more than 20,000 homes and businesses in the Back Bay and nearby neighborhoods, including the theater district.
Becky Ripley of Maryland said she was returning to the Hilton after dinner when a police officer told her to take refuge from the smoke in the Sheraton hotel.
"It was nasty," Ripley said. "It smelled like chemicals, and it burned my eyes a little."
Officials said no serious injuries were reported. They also said there appeared to have been no release of toxic chemicals.
Power was restored to 8,000 homes and businesses overnight, Boston Business Journal reported, and Nstar said it expected to have the power restored to the remaining 13,000 customers by the end of the day. Two Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority Green "E" Line stations were closed for the morning commute.
