Power restored after substation fire in North Shore town
IPSWICH, Mass. -- A transformer caught fire at a utility substation in Ipswich, knocking out electricity for about six hours to the entire North Shore town.
Town Manager Robert Markel says no one was injured in the fire, which began at 6:49 a.m. just as the morning shift of workers was arriving. Power was restored at 12:30 p.m.
Markel says it appears that failure of old equipment that is being replaced caused the fire that affected the town's 13,500 residents and about 100 businesses.
He said estimates on damage were not immediately available. He does not expect it to add significant new costs to the $7 million project to upgrade the electrical system throughout Ipswich.
Schools in Ipswich were closed for the day.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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