Transformer blew up
 

Huge thunderstorm today in town, had a strike that I saw out my south-facing
window and there was an *instant* boom. Five seconds later local FD is
dispatched to a fire on a telephone poll as the stike blew up a transformer,
10 blocks away.

I know, not as exciting as what some folks have posted recently, but here in
Podunk, Az., population 24, its pretty neat.

In article , says...
Huge thunderstorm today in town, had a strike that I saw out my south-facing
window and there was an *instant* boom. Five seconds later local FD is
dispatched to a fire on a telephone poll as the stike blew up a transformer,
10 blocks away.

I know, not as exciting as what some folks have posted recently, but here in
Podunk, Az., population 24, its pretty neat.





There was a big transformer down at the end of the street where I used
to live. One day a storm went through, and there was this huge BLAMMMM!
and the lights went out and smoke is coming over the tops of the houses.
I go down there,and the transformer, one of those big green ones that
sits on the ground, was blown off it's perch and it has been totally
destroyed. The power company brought a semi in with another transformer
on the trailer to use as a temp until a new one arrived.

I don't remember how long it was, a week or so before the got the
replacement in, but after dozens of power failures during that period,
they got it in and then, IT GOT HIT AGAIN!! It was even louder the
second time, for some reason, and instead of getting knocked off it's
perch, it had a hole in it about 6" accross with the edges of the hole
looking like it was cut with a torch.

It only took a few days to replace this time, my dogs went nuts
everytime the power went off due to the smoke detector sounding off
every time the power came on. Between no sleep from the dogs, and not
much A/C due to the power outages, it wasa long couple of weeks.

BDK

In article ,
ostpile (Frank Raffa) wrote:

There was a big transformer down at the end of the street where I used
to live. One day a storm went through, and there was this huge BLAMMMM!

These are fairly common events in Manhattan. Since Manhattan has only
underground electric service, these explosions also blow manhole covers high
into the air. It is awe inspiring to watch a 300 pound steel cover shoot 10
feet or so straight up.

Of course, if your car is on top of one at the time...

Uh oh, better get Maaco.


Frank Raffa
Supv. Dispatcher FDNY
www.FDNewYork.com

Thanks for this story. It confirms something that I *thought* I
remembered, from a winter visit to NYC circa late '60s, when I was
around 10 years old. I was walking down a sidewalk when a manhole cover
in the street shot up a good 10' right next to me in a shower of sparks;
over the years I've been thinking that I must have misremembered - no
way a manhole cover would really have flown up that high! It's good to
know that my memory of this could be correct.

As I recall, I couldn't have been more than 10' from it when it blew. I
was very impressed at the time at the kinds of shows NY put on for
visitors, and that the cover came back right down onto the hole!

Arleigh Movitz
Volunteer Firefighter, Webmaster
Santa Clara County Fire Department
www.sccfd.org

In article ,
says...
In article ,
ostpile (Frank Raffa) wrote:

There was a big transformer down at the end of the street where I used
to live. One day a storm went through, and there was this huge BLAMMMM!

These are fairly common events in Manhattan. Since Manhattan has only
underground electric service, these explosions also blow manhole covers high
into the air. It is awe inspiring to watch a 300 pound steel cover shoot 10
feet or so straight up.

Of course, if your car is on top of one at the time...

Uh oh, better get Maaco.


Frank Raffa
Supv. Dispatcher FDNY
www.FDNewYork.com

Thanks for this story. It confirms something that I *thought* I
remembered, from a winter visit to NYC circa late '60s, when I was
around 10 years old. I was walking down a sidewalk when a manhole cover
in the street shot up a good 10' right next to me in a shower of sparks;
over the years I've been thinking that I must have misremembered - no
way a manhole cover would really have flown up that high! It's good to
know that my memory of this could be correct.

As I recall, I couldn't have been more than 10' from it when it blew. I
was very impressed at the time at the kinds of shows NY put on for
visitors, and that the cover came back right down onto the hole!

Arleigh Movitz
Volunteer Firefighter, Webmaster
Santa Clara County Fire Department
www.sccfd.org


It's happened twice recently in downtown Toledo, Oh. This got headlines
here..

BDK

"Jason Wagner" wrote in message
...
Huge thunderstorm today in town, had a strike that I saw out my
south-facing
window and there was an *instant* boom. Five seconds later local FD is
dispatched to a fire on a telephone poll as the stike blew up a
transformer,
10 blocks away.

I know, not as exciting as what some folks have posted recently, but here
in
Podunk, Az., population 24, its pretty neat.

how many channels on your scanner you use? i got frequencies for about 50
and am trying to decide weather a 100 or 200 ch scanner is right for me.

--
Tater
President of MARS Club
www.treece.org/mars.htm
NAR #79654 L1
AMA #747769
EAA #703312
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