Mansfield Resident at Marathon: All Hell Broke Loose

Mansfield resident and planning board member Don Cleary was near mile 26 on Boylston St. when he heard the two explosions that took place near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

"I thought it was a very loud cannon then I looked down and saw a large thing of smoke," Cleary said.

Taking a photo at the marathon, Cleary was enjoying the race when 20 seconds later, the explosions went off down the road.

Describing the scene at the end of the marathon course, Cleary described a scene of literal confusion after the first explosion before, "all hell broke loose." after the second one.

Cleary was able to get out of Boston, leaving the city at 3:45 p.m. on a Commuter Rail train.

There were 22 runners from Mansfield in the Boston Marathon today. So far Mansfield Patch has been able to confirm that twelve runners are safe. If you have heard from any of the runners, please contact Mansfield Patch Local Editor Dan Libon at Dan.Libon@patch.com or at (508) 446-1210.