SECAUCUS — Senior citizens returned to their apartments on County Avenue late Sunday after a transformer explosion and fire sparked a six-hour power outage, Mayor Michael Gonnelli said.
There were no injuries in the incident, but the transformer explosion caused a fire in the community room in the Kroll Heights building on 700 County Ave.
The transformer fire may have been due to the excessive amount of energy being used by air conditioners on “full blast,” Gonnelli said.
“They [senior citizens] were suffering from a little bit of heat exhaustion but we moved them quickly to the public library,” the mayor said.
Firefighters were called to the building around 4:30 p.m., said Gonnelli, who is also the town’s fire chief.
About 100 senior citizens were evacuated from the building. “Some went home with families, some went to an adjoining building,” Gonnelli said. About 40 seniors went to the public libary where they “watched a movie and had pizza and soda,” the mayor said.
Public Service Electric & Gas responded quickly to the scene to make repairs and the residents were allowed back in the buildng around 10 p.m., Gonnelli said.
Air Conditioners Blamed for N.J. Transformer Explosion That Evacuated Seniors, Sparked Power Outage
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