PORT ANGELES — An electrical transformer exploded and burned near the intersection of Lincoln and First streets Thursday morning, tying up traffic at the busy intersection for three hours.
The transformer, located on a pole in the alley between Fitness West at 114 S. Lincoln St., and A New Leaf at 112 S. Lincoln St., burst into flames at about 10:15 a.m. Thursday.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The first calls into the PenCom 9-1-1 center were at 10:17 a.m., according to dispatchers.
Port Angeles Fire Department and the Port Angeles city utility department responded to the blazing transformer within minutes.
City utility crews removed the transformer, replaced and rewired it and cleaned up the area, said Craig Fulton, public works director for the city of Port Angeles.
Five businesses in the area immediately around the fire were without power until 1:13 p.m., and Lincoln Street was closed for about an hour.
The road was partially reopened after fire equipment departed, with limited traffic as crews replaced the transformer.
While the cause of the explosion and fire were not known as of Thursday afternoon, the age of the transformer and the wiring around it are being examined, Fulton said.
“It’s an extremely rare occurrence,” he said.
Fulton said that once the cause is identified, crews will check the rest of the city’s grid to check if the same situation exists elsewhere.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
