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A voltage issue in Waltham caused a multitude of issues in the Massachusetts city, leading to damaged meters and wiring. Electric Breaker
Waltham police said transformer fires, light signal failures and smoke in buildings were being reported throughout the city Saturday afternoon.
A spokesperson for Eversource Energy said a high voltage and equipment issue began affecting the utility company's Pine Street and Main Street substations at about 2:30 p.m.
Residents who live in the area of 1117 Main St., told NewsCenter 5's Danae Bucci that they heard a transformer blow before a fire started in the rear of the home at that address.
"We thought we heard a pop or an explosion and the lights went out at my house," said Tony Piantedosi. "Then we kind of turned around and, all of a sudden, that (house) was on fire."
"It started from a big boom," said Lisandra Fernandez. "All the fire alarms were going off and everyone was watching from the streets. I thought it was my house on fire, but then we look up the street and there was a fire there."
On Sunday, Eversource tweeted that its crews were working at about 30 locations in Waltham where meters and wiring were damaged by "an abnormal voltage issue" that was caused by "a substation event."
According to the company's spokesperson, some Eversource customers in Waltham may need an electrician to inspect their homes and make additional repairs before power can be restored.
"We have hired external electricians who are assisting us and the affected customers to exchange the meters and make repairs where we can," Eversource tweeted Sunday morning.
Eversource said it is continuing to investigate the root cause of the voltage issue. Any affected customers who are having trouble with their meters are encouraged to call the company at 800-592-2000.
While we continue to investigate the root cause of this issue, we encourage any of these affected customers who are having trouble with their meters to call us at 800-592-2000.
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