AP Photo / Matt Rourke
Police officers guard the entrance to Franklin Street in Watertown where there is an active crime scene search for suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings Friday.
WATERTOWN, Mass. -- Several shots were fired in the area of Franklin Street at about 7 p.m. Friday, and emergency vehicles with sirens blaring responded, according to live televised news reports.
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An aerial view of the boat at 67 Franklin St. in Watertown, Mass. that authorities have surrounded.
Just under an hour later, a Fox News reporter on the scene reported live that he had heard 8 to 10 explosions nearby.
A Massachusetts state police spokesman told the Associated Press about 10 minutes ago that the renewed activity was related to "today's events."
The area had been searched intensively by authorities all day for a second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. The town is about 10 miles west of Boston.
It wasn't immediately clear whether authorities had found 19-year-old college student Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Shortly before the shots were heard, officials reported no progres in their search, and Governor Patrick told residents it was OK for them to leave their homes.
Boston Police have since told residents to "shelter in place" due to police operations in the Franklin Street area. A large police presence is now in place.
Tsarnaev had fled on foot after a furious overnight gun battle that left 200 spent rounds behind and after a wild car chase in which he and his brother hurled explosives at police, authorities said.
His brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died in the shootout, run over by his younger brother in a car as he lay wounded, according to investigators.
-- With reports from the Associated Press
-- This report was first posted at 7:05 p.m. and updated at 7:37 p.m. and 7:42 and 7:54 p.m.