Blast Kills One, Downs Power In Cambridge

One man died and four were injured on August 7th during multiple explosions in Kendall Square. The blasts resulted in a five-hour power outage in the late evening throughout the city of Cambridge. At the time of the accident, the cause of the blast was unknown.

Com Electric employee Douglas Pollander was underground responding to an earlier explosion when a second blast occurred. The resulting fire killed Pollander and injured three of his co-workers and a police officer, according to Com Electric spokesperson Peter Dimond. Officials on the scene said Pollander's body remained trapped for over an hour.

Survived by a wife and six children, Pollander, 42, was a 17-year veteran of Com Electric and resided on Madison Ave. in Cambridge.

The Harvard University Police Department provided small space rescue equipment, and one Facilities Maintenance employee joined Cambridge officials to help retrieve the victim.