Substation Fire Caused Power Outages In Norwalk Monday: UPDATE

NORWALK, CT — An electrical substation fire on New Canaan Avenue in Norwalk Monday evening knocked out power to thousands of Eversource customers in the city, according to Norwalk fire officials and the utility company.

The blaze was reported at about 7:30 p.m., and Eversource technicians had to shut down power to the area before firefighters could safely work at extinguishing the fire. No injuries were reported.

"Upon the fire department's arrival, heavy fire was visible from an elevated switch gear cabinet, that controls a 13,800 volt transmission line," wrote Norwalk Deputy Fire Chief Edward Prescott in a statement.

"Firefighters initially used dry chemical extinguishers to knock down the fire, then a CO2 extinguisher to cool the equipment," Prescott added. "Once the fire was extinguished Eversourse employees then started to restore the power, that was shut down for firefighting."

As of about 9 p.m., more than 6,000 customers were without power, or close to 20 percent of Eversource customers.

At one point, more than 16,000 Eversource customers were without power in the city, The Hour reported.