Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – A Thursday evening explosion at a City Water and Light electrical substation left approximately 1,200 customers without power and was captured on a Jonesboro Police Department dash camera.
According to Slade Mitchell, energy marketing administrator for City Water and Light, a potential transformer (PT Transformer) at the substation adjacent to Chuck E. Cheese near Turtle Creek failed and exploded.
Video submitted to JonesboroRightNow
The dramatic blast happened as a Jonesboro police officer was conducting a traffic stop nearby. The officer’s patrol vehicle was pointed directly toward the substation, allowing the explosion to be recorded on the dash camera. The identity of the officer was not immediately available.
Mitchell said the equipment failure interrupted electric service to about 1,200 CWL customers. Utility crews quickly rerouted power through other circuits, restoring service to all affected customers by 7:30 p.m.
The damaged transformer is part of the substation equipment that reduces voltage from CWL’s 69-kilovolt transmission system to levels suitable for distribution to homes and businesses throughout the area.
With temperatures soaring across Northeast Arkansas Thursday, Mitchell said it’s difficult to say whether the extreme heat directly caused the transformer failure.
“It may not be easy to determine if today’s heat was the direct cause of the failure,” Mitchell said. “Certainly, one could guess that the heat could have been a factor.”
Mitchell noted that while Thursday was a high-demand day for CWL’s electric system, it typically takes several consecutive days of extreme heat before the utility experiences the level of stress needed to establish new peak electricity demand records.
The cause of the transformer failure remains under investigation.