Utility pole fire knocks out power for hundreds in Huntington
A late-night transformer fire on Main Street in Huntington left 473 customers without power after witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing flames shoot into the sky.
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A late-night transformer fire left hundreds without power in Huntington and disrupted nearby businesses for hours.
According to PSEG Long Island, crews responded to a call at approximately 10:30 p.m. Tuesday for a utility pole fire at 195 Main St. in Huntington.
When crews arrived, there was no motor vehicle at the scene, though neighbors reported hearing a loud boom before seeing flames shooting into the night sky.
Exclusive video from the scene shows flames ripping from the top of the utility pole, with sparks flying as the transformer burned.
In total, 473 customers were affected by the outage. PSEG Long Island restored power to 404 customers within about 90 minutes.
The remaining 69 customers were without power overnight while crews replaced the damaged pole and transformer and restrung electrical wire. Full restoration was completed at approximately 7:40 a.m. Wednesday.
The explosion knocked out power to a nearby restaurant and an apartment building, creating challenges for local businesses. At The Farm Italy, Assistant Manager Joseph Kiesel said the outage impacted operations.
“Some of our electronics went down last night. Some servers couldn’t drop bank for the night and customers couldn’t pay as well,” Kiesel said.
Residents in the area also experienced repeated disruptions before the power went out completely.
“The power went on and off a few times and then it went off permanently,” Gregory Levin said.
A nearby hotel reported issuing several refunds due to the outage.
PSEG says all customers have now been restored.
