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Archived Events Underground Fire in Downtown Savannah
Released at 9 a.m.:
An underground fire has affected the downtown Savannah area. Savannah Fire and Emergency Services and Savannah-Chatham Metro Police are asking people to stay away from a downtown area within the boundaries of:
Bay St. to Broughton St.
East Broad St. to MLK Blvd.
Roads and businesses in the area may be affected by the operations. Currently, businesses on Bay and River Streets are being evacuated for safety. Georgia Power is advising that the power will likely be out through the evening hours. Motorists are asked to use alternative routes to navigate the area.
We will provide more information as it becomes available.
Updated at 10 a.m.:
Savannah Metro Police is advising that Bay Street is shut down between Abercorn and Whitaker Streets while emergency responders manage the underground fire incident. As a safety precaution, all businesses on River Street are being evacuated.
Fire officials have not determined the cause of the underground fire, but have brought it under control.
The Red Cross has established an evacuation center at the Holiday Inn Express located at the intersection of Abercorn and Bay Streets.
Georgia Power is on scene assessing the incident and advises that the power will likely be out for the rest of the day.
The planned outage will affect the following areas:
-Four to Six Hours – within the boundaries of MLK Blvd. to Lincoln St., and Liberty St. to River St.
-Six to Eight Hours – within the boundaries of Whitaker St. to Lincoln St., and Liberty St. to River St.
-Eight Hours or more – within the boundaries of Whitaker St. to Drayton St., and Bay St. to River St.
CEMA is on scene assisting with the incident, monitoring changes in weather, and providing public affairs assistance. Savannah Metro Police press releases will be temporarily issued through the CEMA Alert system.
