A fire at a DTE Energy substation in downtown Detroit on Friday sent emergency crews scrambling and knocked out power for a brief time before being rerouted. The blaze, which reportedly started after a series of explosions, occurred at the facility located on the 600 block of Howard Street near Third, close to the police headquarters and several local businesses.

Witnesses at the Cambria Hotel next door reported hearing a loud boom that preceded the blackout in the building, as recounted by The Detroit News. Detroit fire officials have yet to disclose the cause of the incident, but investigations are currently underway. After blocking the nearby ends of Howard Street, police allowed the streets to be cleared by around 3:30 p.m., although road closures on Abbott Street and West Lafayette were expected to continue for some time according to WWJ Newsradio.

DTE Energy promptly shut off electricity at the substation to aid the safety efforts of city fire crews and first responders. "Power at the facility has been de-energized to ensure the safety of the surrounding area, and for the safety of our crews and first responders," a DTE spokesperson stated in a release covered by CBS News Detroit. The spokesperson further mentioned that the electric service was rerouted to nearby buildings and assured that the incident did not cause further outages.

Although the fire led to a temporary disarray, no injuries were reported, confirmed by Detroit Fire Chief James Harris in an interview with WWJ Newsradio. The utility company said the Detroit Fire Department and DTE crews secured the area, which is currently under investigation. The exact cause of the fire remains undetermined, and officials were trying to figure out what led to the two explosions directly when the fire started on the third floor.