More than 1,000 without power after ComEd vault fire

More than 1,000 ComEd customers were without power Thursday evening after a vault fire on the Near North Side.

Firefighters responded shortly before 6 p.m. when the ComEd vault caught fire near North Larrabee and West Oak streets, according to Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Curtis Hudson.

A minor explosion was reported, knocking sewer covers off in the area, Hudson said. The fire was under control by 7:50 p.m.

Two Chicago Police Department officers experience ringing in their ears after the explosion, Hudson said. One officer was taken by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, while the other officer drove himself there.

As of about 8 p.m., 1,138 ComEd customers were without power, said spokeswoman Lydia Hall.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.