WALTHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - Electrical surges caused fires, smoke, and traffic light issues throughout Waltham, police said Saturday.
Firefighters responded to reports of transformer fires resulting from a power surge across the city. Mutual aid from surrounding cities as far as Cambridge were called in to fan out across the municipality and help manage the multiple reports.
Officials said the surge sent too much power to homes, and Eversource crews are working to restore power.
“There was a very loud sound, and then the TV just went off,” resident Michael Wellie said. “We ran back to the kitchen and we saw that there was smoke coming out of the oven.”
Earlier, neighbors said they saw smoke pouring out the side window of one house, where the top floor was charred by fire from an electrical surge. They heard loud bangs and all of a sudden outlets would be on fire.
“It was white, black smoke, really thick,” Daniel Swenson said, describing the fire. “I went into the house, banged on the window, on the doors, nobody was there so we came out and then the fire department came, and they broke the windows out and watered it down and that was that.”
One couple had to rip their power strip from their bedroom outlet and throw it out the window as their floor started to catch fire.
“My wife called me, she got the outlet and threw it outside and put the fire out,” the man said. “The fire chief came in the house, looked around and said everything’s OK. But we still have our power off.”
Police said to be approach intersections with caution, as electrical issues caused traffic lights to go out.
“To anyone driving in Waltham, parents driving, whatever it is, all the lights on south side aren’t working,” Neerali Gandhi, who drove through the area. “There are no stop lights on south side right now. I just got to Plympton [Elementary School] and it’s the only light that’s worked.”
Makeshift stop signs have been placed above broken traffic lights, though it is unclear when they are expected to be functioning.
According to the MEMA map, over 200 people are still without power.
In a statement, Eversource said their crews are working on restoring power to those customers after a “high voltage and equipment issue” affected the Pine Street and Main Street substations.
“Some customers will have power restored in the next hour while others may take longer to repair,” the statement read. “We’re investigating the cause and will have more details as soon as they’re available.”
According to the fire department, the issue is resolved. But anyone with similar issues, including seeing smoke, are asked to call police and fire dispatch at 781-314-3600.
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