Pole-mounted transformer fire cuts power to 508 homes in Great Barrington

What happened

A transformer on a utility pole on North Main Street in Great Barrington caught fire at about 6am on Thursday 7 September 2017. The fire cut power to 508 homes, according to National Grid. By 10am the number of homes without power had fallen to 17, and power to the remaining customers was expected to be restored by 2pm. Town police and fire officials closed part of Main Street (Route 7).

As of 10am the road was still closed between the Brown Bridge and Cottage Street while company crews removed the old transformer and utility pole. Traffic was diverted to East Street and jammed the residential street during the morning commute. The newspaper described this as the second transformer in the town to fail in one week, and reported that a transformer on East Street caught fire on 27 August and cut power to homes and businesses, including grocery stores on the south end of town. National Grid was unable to give a reason for the fires and failures.

Contributing factors

Not established. National Grid could not give a reason for the fires and failures. The same report described an earlier transformer fire in the town on 27 August 2017.

Lessons learned

1. Two transformer fires in the same town a short time apart should prompt a review of loading, age and condition on that part of the network, even when the utility cannot yet state a cause.
2. Replacing failed pole equipment on a main road needs a diversion agreed with local police, because a closure can shift traffic onto residential streets.
3. Public restoration times should be updated as the number of customers still off supply falls, and the cause should be left as unknown until it is established.

Source

berkshireeagle.com