NEW BEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - Four Eversource workers in New Bedford were taken to the hospital Friday morning after an incident that occurred while crews were confirming power to a transformer, according to the New Bedford Fire Department.
Just after 8:30 a.m., New Bedford firefighters responded to reports of a possible explosion and an injured Eversource worker on East Rodney French Boulevard. When crews arrived, they found multiple workers with burn injuries.
Other Eversource workers at the scene said the incident occurred while workers were confirming power to a transformer that was secure to conduct service at a nearby property.
“The neighbor across the street she said that when she was walking down, one of the utility guys was coming out of the pothole and he was all covered in dirt and everything,” said Sandra Lopes, who lives in the area.
Four Eversource workers were taken to two hospitals, one in New Bedford, and another in Rhode Island. One of the workers has been released.
“We feel bad. We hope they’re alright,” said Jose Borges, who lives in the area.
Eversource said more than 1,300 people lost power as a result of the incident, but it has since been restored.
“We didn’t have no power, so we were trying to see what was going on. Everybody in the area was wondering what happened because we had no power. We thought it was an accident like a car hit a transformer or something,” Jose Borges.
The incident is being investigated by Eversource, OSHA, and the New Bedford Fire Department Investigation Unit.
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