Just after 5 a.m., residents near the intersection of Dauphine and Toulouse streets tell WWL-TV that they heard a booming noise.
NEW ORLEANS (WWL-TV) — Authorities are investigating a car fire and possible explosion in New Orleans’ French Quarter on Monday morning.
New Orleans Fire Department Captain Edwin Holmes said firefighters were called to a vehicle fire around 5:07 a.m. at the intersection of Dauphine and Toulouse streets. When firefighters arrived at the scene, Holmes said a police officer said there was also a possible explosion in the area.
Firefighters found at least 4 manhole covers that had been “blown off into the street, into buildings and vehicles.”
Holmes said the explosion blew out windows to one home and four cars were damaged. There were no reported injuries.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsVideo of fire on Dauphine @WWLTV courtesy of person evacuated pic.twitter.com/ZS8QT5q56p
— Duke Carter II (@dcarterII) December 16, 2019
It is still unclear if the explosion caused the car fire or vice versa.
People living in the 500 block of Dauphine Street were evacuated as a precaution. One resident told WWL-TV that they heard a booming noise shortly after 5 a.m. and saw a fire spread from one car to a second vehicle.
There is a large police and firefighter presence in the area.
Several Entergy vehicles were seen entering the scene. Utilities in the area have been shut down as crews investigate the explosion.
