An apparently tired and overworked transformer overheated, caused a garage fire on Gay Drive in Kettering and briefly knocked out power to at least 10 homes in the neighborhood, Kettering fire Battalion Chief Jon Durrenberg said.
Crews were dispatched to the neighborhood about 8 p.m. on a report of a fire in a yard. The transformer leaked oil after catching fire and the oil dripped onto the garage and the ground, he said. Crews quickly put out the fire.
No one was injured. Dayton Power & Light crews were called to make repairs.
But the trouble didn’t stop there.
“We had other wires going to the next transformer further down the block that was smoking at the next transformer,” Durrenberg said. “We had other lines that were down in the backyards, so we had to check all those houses to make sure the conductors weren’t overheating at those service drops.”
Durrenberg said when the weather is as hot as it has been, “people are running their air conditioners” and “it just overheats the transformers. They just pretty much get tired and worn out. This is what occurs with them sometimes.”
At 10:35 p.m., an estimated 31 customers still had no electric service and DP&L crews are replacing at least two transformers in the area of Gay Drive, DP&L Operations Chief Kevin Hall said.
He said he wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that customers change their habits in how they use their electric service.
“Customers should feel comfortable that we will continue to provide service and when something happens, we will restore the service as quickly as possible,” Hall said.
Durrenberg said the transformer trouble on Gay Drive was the second one to overheat Tuesday afternoon. He said there was a fire resulting from the earlier incident, which burned a fence and some decking on a home.
The battalion chief said if you hear noise from a transformer, such as a loud boom, or see lights flicker, turn off the breaker in your home if you have time.
“That will at least protect part of your house and some of your electronics from the voltage surge,” he said. “Other than that, call the fire department.”