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Grid infrastructureUnited StatesEIR-1117

Transformer explosion leaves thousands without power in Manlius

Mar 2020Published 20 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantElectricalProvisional
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordFailed part hidden
Where
Intersection of Hoag Lane and Muirfield Drive, Manlius, New York
Operator
National Grid
What
Transformer exploded, outage to over 3,500 customers
Cause
Transformer failure
Outcome
Power restored by 2pm to all but a few customers

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): National Grid

What happened

A transformer exploded shortly before noon on 4 March 2020 at Hoag Lane and Muirfield Drive in Manlius, New York. National Grid reported 3,575 customers without power in and south of the town of Manlius. Power was restored to all but a few customers by 2 p.m. Fayetteville-Manlius High School dismissed students early because of the outage. The Manlius Police Department said the transformer failure caused the outage.

Contributing factors

The source did not report why the transformer failed.

Lessons learned

  1. A single transformer failure can cut power to several thousand customers in a town and nearby areas.
  2. Schools and other sites need timely outage information so they can decide whether to send people home.
  3. Matching utility outage reports with emergency dispatch records helps confirm where and when a transformer failure occurred.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Underlying technical cause of the failure
  • Transformer voltage level
  • Equipment age

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

syracuse.com

Published 2026-09-20. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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Substation and transformer fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: transformer explosions.

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