Power line fire knocks out power for thousands
By Brandi Makuski
More than 3,700 properties briefly lost power on Thursday, caused by a transformer fire on the 300 block of Georgia St. North.
Power outages were reported as far away as Ascension St. Michael’s Hospital.
Stevens Point firefighters were called to the scene, located about four blocks northwest of SPASH, at 10:51 a.m. on Sept. 20, according to Lt. Mark Schoeberle.
Schoerberle said by the time fire crews arrived WPS had extinguished the fire and already cut the power. “Neighbors were reporting explosions on the pole, a transformer went, so a lot of the city was without power.”
Crews from WPS restored power quickly and by 11:30 a.m. were already working to replace the pole and transformer.
“When we pulled up the pole looked like the end of a lit match,” Schoerberle said. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
Schoerberle said SPFD cleared the scene at 11:14 a.m. and there were no injuries associated with the fire.