Power Back On In Reading After Apparent Power Surge

READING, MA — The lights came back on in downtown Reading on Wednesday after an apparent power surge brought emergency crews to the Main Street area.

At least eight buildings on Main Street were without power following the incident. Main Street itself was closed beginning shortly after 10:30 a.m.

By 2 p.m., officials had reopened Main Street and restored power to the area. Ultimately, the Reading Municipal Light Department in a statement blamed the issue on "a small piece of equipment that failed prematurely."

Officials said on Wednesday that multiple downtown businesses reported issues ranging from a burnt surge protector, to electrical smells and flickering lights.

Reports indicated that this electrical issue may have also knocked out a traffic light in the area, according to officials.

Reading Municipal Light reportedly cut power to some businesses as a precaution while it dispatched crews to inspect transformers.

Reading Municipal Light said permanent repairs were ongoing as of Wednesday afternoon.

Startling some Reading community members on Wednesday, this week's electrical incident followed just a matter of days after power surges caused problems in Waltham over the weekend.

Those surges knocked out multiple traffic lights, damaging some appliances and triggering transformer explosions throughout Waltham.

Officials later linked the issues back to a pair of Eversource substations.