Substation transformer fire cuts power to thousands in Manchester Township
EIR-1146Provisional entry. Confirmed: a transformer fire at a JCP&L substation in Whiting, New Jersey on 15 January 2018 cut power to about 4,200 customers, with supply restored the same afternoon. Not yet known: the cause, the extent of equipment damage and any utility or regulatory findings. Next update: 21 September 2026.
A transformer at a JCP&L electrical substation in Whiting, part of Manchester Township, New Jersey, caught fire on the afternoon of 15 January 2018. A patrolman reported hearing a loud boom near Manchester Boulevard and Lacey Road, coming from the substation located just off Route 530; the local report headlined the event as an explosion. About 4,200 customers in the western section of Manchester Township lost power. Crews from the Whiting Volunteer Fire Company and power crews from JCP&L attended, extinguished the fire and restored supply faster than first anticipated, with only about 12 customers still off supply by early evening. Because of the freezing weather, the Manchester Office of Emergency Management set up a warming station at the fire company premises as a precaution. No injuries were reported and no cause has been made public.
Not reported. The source gives no technical cause for the transformer failure.
- Rapid joint attendance by fire services and utility crews can shorten outage duration after substation equipment failures.
- Cold weather contingency arrangements such as warming stations reduce the impact of outages on vulnerable residents.
- Public outage mapping helps communicate restoration progress during an incident.
Published 2026-09-21. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.