Fans poured out of bars all across Pittsburgh as the clock wound down to a Steelers victory in Super Bowl XL tonight. Small fires were reported at S. 19th Street on the South Side, but firefighters told police to hold back, things were under control.

As the evening wore on, police communicaton channels crackled with reports of rowdiness and police crowd control action.

	John Beale, Post-Gazette
	Steeler fans take over Carson Street on Pittsburgh's South Side tonight as fans across the region celebrated the team's Super Bowl victory.

Police were ready for trouble, having decided last week to close parts of Carson Street on the South Side, Forbes Avenue and Bates Street in Oakland, Penn Avenue and Smallman Street in the Strip District, and some Downtown arteries.

Some people shot off fireworks, a woman was reported to have dislocated her shoulder in a fall, and at least one report of gunfire was broadcast on police radios.

Seconds after the game ended, hundeds of fans poured out of bars in Oakland and were joined by hundreds more who left their dormitories at the University of Pittsburgh.

Chanting "One for the thumb!" and "We are the champions," the crowd converged at Forbes Avenue and Bouquet Streets, and began moving toward the Cathedral of Learning, where it continued to grow. One police officer estimated the crowd at 3,000 people just a few minutes after the game ended.

People were waving Terrible Towels, cheering, throwing toilet paper, setting off fireworks and hugging each each other.

Some were slipping and sliding on the icy streets, but didn't seem to be bothered by the cold.

Police were highly visible in the area, but for the most part, enjoyed the spectacle, that included at least one streaker.

Thousands jammed South Carson Street on the South Side.

For the entire game, the South Side had looked like a ghost town -- no traffic, no pedestrians, no nothing. But as the final seconds wound down, the bars emptied. Fans were mostly orderly, with young people savoring a moment that their parents had enjoyed four times in the ancient days of the 1970s. "The crowd is reaallly big," a woman police officer radioed from the South Side. In pouring snow, members of a huge crowd at 18th and Carson streets embraced, waved Terrible Towels and shouted for joy. Many used cell-phone cameras and video cameras to save the memories.