this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2026
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Electricians

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911 and the local electrical company have been contacted. A storm came through, we lost power, it came back but fluctuates. We then noticed that the local transformer was on fire. I was alarmed at the sound and concept but my husband wasn’t that phased. How common is this and how much should I worry? We are not in a fire prone area.

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[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Happens all the time.

Engineers have planned for this sort of thing and firemen have trained for it, given they've been around since the start of electrification over 100 years ago.

There are millions of transformers in one state alone. They're part-and-parcel of the power grid.

And most likely it's one without PCB's, as only GE and Westinghouse ever used PCB's, and even they stopped using PCB's in 1979 (by regulation).

[–] Jessicat@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Thanks. It’s been reassuring to hear these types of comments. They put it out overnight and now we’re waiting on them to fix the transformer. Sucks to lose the AC during a heat wave but glad that they were responsive.

[–] litchralee@sh.itjust.works 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Many years ago on my way home, just one block down the street, the pole-mounted transformer was aflame and the fire department had already arrived and were setting up their equipment to deal with it. After detouring around the scene, my neighbors told me they believed it was struck by lightning on that stormy night, although the loud boom and the loss of power to the neighborhood could also have been the transformer or its fuse exploding.

Seeing as the fire department was already attending, and not having any additional concerns about the transformer itself, I went inside my dark home to find a flashlight -- this was before smartphones were a thing -- and then checked to make sure there wasn't any obvious electrical damage in every room. Finally, since flashes of lightning has been seen earlier that evening, as a precaution, I decided to flip off the main breaker and called it a night.

In the morning, waking up to no electricity, I at least had daylight and went to turn on the breaker. And indeed my home powered up, as if nothing had happened. I then went on with the rest of my day, driving past the scene where both the fire department and electrical utility must have toiled in the rain to clean up and restore service.

That was years ago and I've not experienced such an event again. But apart from making sure that your electric appliances aren't damaged, there isn't much else to do once the fire department and utility are alerted. Instead, I would advise general emergency preparedness, and avoiding common sources of mishaps, such as lighting candles and open-flames during a blackout.

[–] swab148@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 days ago

This actually happened to me recently, with similar results: loud bang, no power, hot and sweaty because Texas, electric came out and fixed it the next day, and the day after that they came back to clean up the mess they left in our backyard. Overall, not an experience I'd like to repeat, but I'm glad it was handled quickly.

[–] x_pikl_x@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

They're fused, so nothing to worry about.