Power Outages Decrease in Ridgewood

PSE&G downgraded power outages in the village Wednesday following excessive usage throughout Tuesday.

Although a utility spokesperson couldn't give specific details, Ridgewood electricity was out in 500 to 2,000 homes Tuesday. Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser said a transformer failed on the West Side, near Lincoln and Godwin Avenues.

On Wednesday, that number decreased.

"The best information I can provide is that it is less than 500, and we have crews working now to complete restorations," utility spokesperson Nicole Swann said.

Earlier Wednesday, PSE&G said about 6,500 customers remained without power due to the extreme heat. The hardest struck towns were Fairview, Elizabeth and Jersey City.

The preliminary peak demand for electricity came at 5 p.m. with 10,804 megawatts, the highest of the summer. According to PSE&G, the highest demand ever was 11,108 megawatts set on August 2, 2006.

Information compiled by Sam Fran Scavuzzo.