Fireball, blast after gas main struck

SUN PRAIRIE: An explosion has rocked a suburb of Madison in the US state of Wisconsin after a contractor struck a natural gas main, sending an unknown number of people to hospitals, authorities said.

No deaths were immediately reported. Sun Prairie, a community of about 30,000, was shaken by a blast that sent a large plume of smoke and flames rising from the downtown area.

Dane County Sheriff’s Office operations manager Paul Logan said some people were taken to hospitals, but no deaths had been reported.

Firefighters responded and police blocked off downtown streets from traffic and onlookers.

A business owner said he saw firefighters and police officers on the street and then the explosion happened. He said the building across from his shop ‘‘literally lifted up’’.

He said the force of the blast knocked him back in his chair and he ran outside and saw a ball of fire. — AP