Underground Blast Injures 2 Workers

Two utility workers were hurt by an underground explosion that created a fireball in the downtown area of the nation’s capital during rush hour. The blast left a female employee of Potomac Electric Power Co. in critical condition at Washington Hospital Center. A male colleague was hit in the leg by the grate that covered the hole they were working on as they responded to a call about a partial power failure. Pepco spokesman Robert Dobkin said the workers were either opening or closing a switch on a 13,000-volt cable when the switch failed.