Two Southeast runners, Dr. John Bursell and Jaime Bursell were safe at the site of the Boston Marathon, where two explosions killed three and injured at least 140 others.
The blasts occurred near the finish of the race about two hours after the winners crossed the line.
Contacted at their hotel room where they first learned of the blasts, Jaime Bursell said that sirens were still sounding in the area.
Bursell finished the race in roughly three hours and they had already gone to their hotel to relax and recover.
Bursell finished the Boston Marathon about 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (9 a.m. Alaska). His two-hour, 59 minute run was roughly 40 minutes after the first finisher.
“We were long gone when the first blast went off,” John Bursell said. “We had gathered all our things after the race, did all the race formalities and were in our hotel room.”
The Bursell’s hotel is five blocks from the start/finish line.
“The whole streets are blocked off and they are not allowing people in,” Bursell said. “We will probably just stay in our hotel and have dinner here. Jaime heard the blasts and is it unnerving.”
The Bursells were scheduled to arrive back in Juneau on Wednesday.
Cell phone service has been shut down in the Boston area to prevent any potential remote detonations of explosives.
Authorities say bombs caused the blasts, according to the Associated Press. Bloody spectators were being carried away from the scene. There are reportedly multiple amputations, at least 25-30 people have at least one leg missing or an ankle missing or two legs missing according to Roupen Bastajian, a state trooper from Greenville, R.I. who had just finished the race.
According to KCAW radio, Sitka runner Brent Cunningham finished the race approximately half an hour before the explosions.
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