NOFD responding to French Quarter explosion, car fire

NEW ORLEANS – A car burst into flames on Dauphine Street this morning. The vehicle fire was first reported in the 500 block of Dauphine around 5 a.m., according to NOFD Captain Edwin Holmes. NOFD crews rushed to the scene and began working to extinguish the fire. Video provided by a bystander shows flames leaping from the front of a parked sedan. An NOPD officer on the scene told the responding firefighters that the car had exploded, Holmes said. “At that time, they began to investigate and noticed that at least four manhole covers had been blown off, into the street, into buildings, and into vehicles,” Holmes said. “Since then, we have been trying to investigate what caused the explosion.” Entergy has shut down all utilities in the area so crews could determine what caused the explosion. Residents in the area of the explosion have been evacuated.