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Construction accident in Auburn burns worker, snarls traffic for hours

Fire shoots up out of a manhole on Court Street in Auburn after a construction accident Thursday afternoon.
Auburn Police Department
Fire shoots up out of a manhole on Court Street in Auburn after a construction accident Thursday afternoon.

Several roads around Auburn City Hall remained closed at rush hour Thursday afternoon after a construction accident sparked a fire while crews were putting a sewer liner in place as part of a storm drain upgrade project.

Auburn Fire Deputy Chief Matt Fifield said the call came just after 1:30 Thursday afternoon and crews arrived to find fire shooting up out of a manhole on Court Street.

"The cause of fire is preliminary, but it's believed a fueling accident ignited the fire and, in turn, caused the resin liner being installed to catch fire. The liner is resin and is flammable," Fifield said.

The liner was attached to a truck which nearly caught fire, according to Fifield.

He said it took quite a while to contain the fire in the underground sewer line.

One worker suffered burns to his arms and was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Court Street in front of Auburn City Hall and part of Turner Street were still closed as of 5:30 p.m.