PSEG Fire Started In A Fraction Of A Second

A spark ”likely” ignited the mineral oil surrounding the PSE&G transformer and caused a fire that the company’s Waldwick substation Sunday that burned for hours, utility officials said.

Equipment shut down at the substation for 1/15th of a second and that is when the fire “likely” started, said Brooke Houston, a PSE&G spokesperson.

The equipment burned for five hours, Houston said, and there is a ”good possibility that we will not be able to determine the exact sequence of events that caused the fire.”

The fire started at about 10:30 a.m., causing a series of explosions, NJ.com reported. Nearby residents and commuters on social media reporting seeing flames and smoke coming from the substation while the fire burned.

Nearly 2,000 Bergen County residents lost power when the fire started, but service was almost fully restored by 1:13 p.m.

PSE&G is conducting an internal investigation. Repairing the substation and installing new equipment will take two to three months, Houston said. Affected customers are being served by the company’s Hillsdale substation.