Ohio: Transformer Explosion Causes Outages, and "electric meters on multiple houses down the street were blown off"

like Stockton CA in 2015... and some resources for your fire caption?

Thank you to our Midwest colleagues for these news stories:

3 minute news video discusses meter fires

Power returns after reported transformer explosion caused widespread outages on Cleveland’s west side, officials say

CLEVELAND — More questions remain after a reported transformer explosion caused widespread power outages on Cleveland’s west side Monday evening.

More than 20 hours after the incident, Cleveland Public Power released a statement on Facebook saying the cause of the power outages is under investigation and the majority of the 1,000 customers who were in the dark have had their power restored.

In the statement, CPP said there was no damage to the substation and “repairs include replacing several power lines that were destroyed. Once replaced they will begin to bring customers back online in a methodical manner so as not to cause any new disruptions.”

Residents on West 43rd Street say they had a front row seat to the explosion.

“All of a sudden sparking, like Vietnam,” said resident George Dinger. “Like you was getting bombed. That’s how bad it was. I was looking right out the window. I could hear it.”

As of just after 7:30 p.m., West 41st Street was completely blocked at the exit ramp at Interstate 90. 3News crews observed widespread apparent outages on Bridge Avenue at the intersection of West 54th Street.

TIMELINE

Lt. Mike Norman, a spokesperson for the Cleveland Division of Fire, told 3News that the incident took place just before 7 p.m. Monday, and Cleveland Public Power confirmed the issue emanated from their West 41st Street Power Plant.

One firefighter at the scene confirmed to 3News that the explosion caused fire to spread across multiple utility poles.

Norman said firefighters also battled a house fire in the 4200 block of Fenwick Avenue, another street neighboring Cleveland Public Power’s West 41st Street Substation.

Crews found a gas fire in the basement of the home, plus electric meters on multiple houses down the street were blown off.

“I mean, it indicates a dangerous situation. I think, for us,” Norman told 3News on Tuesday. “And I talked to the battalion chief this morning, we’re both surprised that we didn’t have more house fires, actually. With that the damage that was done to those electrical meters, a lot of times that can lead to house fires.”

More at news link: Power returns after reported transformer explosion caused widespread outages on Cleveland's west side, officials say | wkyc.com

MSN news link: Some Cleveland residents still without power after transformers explode: ‘It’s all bad’

“Transformers blowing left and right, wires dropping,” he said.

The Cleveland Division of Fire said crews responded to a house fire in the 4200 block of Fenwick Avenue, believed to have been caused by a gas leak. Shortly after, multiple transformers began to explode.

The incident also caused major traffic delays, lasting through the morning rush, as crews blocked off the area and a nearby highway exit.

Electric meters were blown off several homes, contributing to the widespread outage.

News5Cleveland: What was THAT?!? A dramatic transformer explosion knocked out power on the West Side

“We were standing here,” said Douglas Pilawa while in his kitchen. “And right before all the power went off, this just absolutely exploded,” he said, talking about his overhead light. “And so glass everywhere. I mean, just literally blown apart.”

Around 7 p.m. on Monday, multiple Cleveland Division of Fire companies responded to a house fire in the 4200 block of Fenwick Avenue and reports of a transformer explosion and power lines down across roads in the area.

The department said the blaze was a gas fire that is now under control, and Embridge responded and turned the gas off on Fenwick Avenue. [] Side

Residents in Cleveland’s West Side experienced power outages after a transformer blew Monday evening, according to Cleveland Fire.

What was THAT?!? A dramatic transformer explosion knocked out power on the West Side

CLEVELAND — Many residents on Cleveland’s West Side were without power after a transformer blew Monday evening, according to Cleveland Fire, and some of them are still dealing with the aftermath a day later.

According to FirstEnergy, there were over 1,000 customers without power. As of Tuesday morning, fewer than five remained without power.

We caught the Pilawa family packing up and heading to an Airbnb on Tuesday morning following the explosion. “We were standing here,” said Douglas Pilawa while in his kitchen. “And right before all the power went off, this just absolutely exploded,” he said, talking about his overhead light. “And so glass everywhere. I mean, just literally blown apart.”

Around 7 p.m. on Monday, multiple Cleveland Division of Fire companies responded to a house fire in the 4200 block of Fenwick Avenue and reports of a transformer explosion and power lines down across roads in the area.

The department said the blaze was a gas fire that is now under control, and Embridge responded and turned the gas off on Fenwick Avenue.

One resident captured the transformer explosion on camera.

Watch:

Firefighters went door-to-door to check for issues and learned that some electric meters had been blown off the houses, according to Cleveland Fire.

The Pilawas’ house was one of those, and while on the street, we found several other meters that were heavily hit as well.

“From what the firefighters told us, I think it was 11,000 volts went into each one of the houses,” said Pilawa.

We wanted to know whether this kind of damage is common during transformer explosions and more details on how it occurred. We called and left messages with a bunch of city leaders and went to CPP for more answers. We were told no one was there to answer questions.

This situation reminded me of a similar news story from 2015 about Stockton CA as reported by Stop Smart Meters:

Wheels Coming Off Smart Grid as PG&E Smart Meters Explode/ Burn/ Smoulder in Stockton, CA After Crash Causes Surge

Excerpt from the Stockton Record on the exploding smart meters:

“Stockton fire Capt. Bryan Carr with Engine 6, one of several fire crews dispatched Monday morning as dozens of electric customers began reporting explosions, smoke or the smell of burning wires, described the scene as “unreal” when his engine pulled onto Fairbury Lane, a residential street in southeast Stockton. Expecting to pull up to a specific address, Carr’s crew was greeted by a number of residents out on the street wondering why his engine wasn’t stopping at their house.
“In some cases, meters were literally blown off the panels. People described it as hearing a whirring sound like the meter was speeding up, then like an explosion. Some of the meters weren’t blown off, but they were fried and the glass was gone,” Carr said.”

This is not the first time that smart meters have shown their vulnerability to electrical surges. In September 2011, a surge in East Palo Alto, California caused dozens of smart meters to fail. Despite this and hundreds of other incidents involving fire including where people have died, the California Public Utilities Commission has not even officially looked into the matter much less taken action to protect public safety. Utilities around the world continue to deny any problem exists and have been seizing meters involved in fires before fire investigators have a chance to do their work, drawing public protests from Quebec’s firefighters.

Would this be a good time to stop by the fire station?

I live in Massachusetts where smart meters are currently being installed, (along with Rhode Island, New Mexico, and parts of New York.)

I copied the news stories about the Ohio fires into a word document, and I spent $30 printing out these reports about smart meters and took them to a nearby fire captain I know personally:

The 50-page paper “Overview: Fire and Electrical Hazards from ‘Smart’, Wireless, PLC, and Digital Utility Meters”available free for downloading and printing. It provides information from experts on utility meters used in the U.S. and Canada.

The Discovery and Science of Smart Meter Fires Vyto Babrauskas, Ph.D. Fire Science and Technology Inc. 66 pages

NYSUMA SMART METER TESTIMONY

(downloads immediately at link)

I provided links to smart meter fire information

EMF Safety Network, Smart Meter Fires and Explosions – EMF Safety Network

Stop Smart Meters, FAQ: Fire and Safety Issues | Stop Smart Meters!

Smart Meter Education Network (Michigan) Smart Meter Education Network - Fires

Stop BC Hydro Smart Meters: SMART METER FIRES | Coalition to Stop Smart Meters in BC The site is now moved to https://citizensforsafertech.ca SMART METER FIRES | Citizens For Safer Tech

and I told the chief that he probably has not heard about the meter fires because, according to insurance industry whistleblower Norm Lambe, utilities pull the meters from the fire scene before the fire investigation takes place, so they have no data.

Testimony & Exhibits by Norman Lambe, Insurance Adjuster – New Mexico PRC – July 13, 2016 | Coalition to Stop Smart Meters in BC
See also: May 30, 2024 – https://citizensforsafertech.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NORM-LAMBE–INSURANCE-INDUSTRY-SMART-METER-FIRES-WHISTLEBLOWER.pdf
Articles by Norman Lambe, Insurance Adjuster – Smart Meters & Fires (2011-2016)

Norm now publishes at Substack here: Norman’s Substack | Norman Lambe | Substack

I asked if it would be possible to MA to require that utilities not remove the meters before the fire is investigated.

If you know of other listings of smart meter fires, or other resources, please post a comment.

And if you live in one of the states that is currently deploying, including MA, maybe you can also drop some information off to your fire caption too?