Transformers spark, blow out during storm lighting night sky, putting Delco residents in the dark
UPPER CHICHESTER TOWNSHIP, Pa. - They’re loud and Tuesday night, in the storms, they lit up the night sky, as transformers blew, leaving thousands of residents in the dark.
For those living on Flora Lane in Upper Chichester, the powerful storms brought them rain, winds, and an early Fourth of July celebration.
"It looked like fireworks, but my husband’s family has lived in this house ever since it was built so, it’s not the first time something like that has happened," says Casey Hammond.
While Hammond says it’s not the first time the neighborhood transformers sparked up, she pulled out her phone and began recording it, because this time was a little different.
"That all at once, where it seemed like a chain reaction, was the first time we ever seen that so, it was shocking," says Hammond.
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Wiping out power, leaving those in the neighborhood either running on generators or in the dark.
"That went on for a good five minutes. Five minutes in that scene, it seems like an eternity," says Robert Harvey, who lost power.
An eternity that Harvey says was interrupted by phone calls from people watching it on social media.
Cascade of transformers blowing out in Upper Chichester neighborhood. (Courtesy: Casey Hammond)
"I had several phone calls in the middle of the fireworks explosion or whatever you want to call it, where they were like, ‘hey is your house on fire, do you need us’," says Harvey.
Luckily, he didn’t need help.
"With storms and everything, that kind of stuff happens all the time," says Raleigh Veney, the GM of Mister Sparky, of Northern Delaware.
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Veney says transformers lower voltage to an operational level so that commercial and residential buildings can have power, but when sparks begin to fly, the transformer is failing.
"The transformer is in failure mode so, it’s impacted by lightning strike. It could be moisture, age of the transformer, wear and tear. It could be an actual electrical surge going through that causes the electrical transformer to go bad," says Veney.
Veney says residents should use surge protectors for electronics and appliances to protect their home.
He also adds that if you ever see a transformer on the ground, stay away and call 911.