South Whitehall transformer explodes - area outage includes traffic light

Frank Warner
The Morning Call
Thu, 24 Dec 2015 21:46 UTC

© The Morning Call

South Whitehall transformer explosion takes out traffic light

A transformer exploded next to the King George Inn in South Whitehall Township late Wednesday, knocking out electrical power to a limited area, according to emergency radio reports.

The transformer blew up about 11 p.m. at the closed, historical restaurant at Hamilton and Cedar Crest boulevards. Fire police were dispatched to control traffic at the intersection.

Officers radioed that the power outage affected a small area around the King George. Just before midnight, PPL's online outage center showed six customers without electricity.

A PPL repair crew was dispatched to the scene.

Comment: There has been a disturbing number of transformer explosions in the last few years. Is the worldwide electrical grid in that bad shape, or is there some other factor at work?

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