Power surge hits Ross Township neighborhood
ROSS, Pa. (KDKA) — A power surge in a Ross Township neighborhood left approximately 120 homes without power for hours on Friday.
A large tree fell on some power lines on Friday morning, Duquesne Light said, resulting in more than 120 customers losing power. Duquesne Light responded in the morning after the tree fell, and the fire company said when they tried to re-energize the grid, a power surge happened.
"There was a big green flash," resident Mark Newara said. "A loud boom, like a thud. There was a surge in the house. Then our outlets started to smell like smoke."
According to the fire company, the power surge impacted homes on Gardner Place, Park Place and Harbeth Drive.
In a 5 p.m. update on Friday, Duquesne Light said crews began making repairs and reenergized many of the homes. Crews also identified additional damage to customer equipment.
As of 10:30 p.m., Duquesne Light said all single-family homes have had their power restored. The Governors Ridge apartment complex is still without power, and officials said crews will begin work to restore it on Saturday morning.
"DLC is working with a third-party contractor to expedite the inspection and connection process to ensure the remaining impacted customers are safely reenergized as quickly as possible," Duquesne Light said in a release.
Some residents told KDKA-TV their appliances were ruined during the surge and even though their power is back, they have no heat due to broken furnaces. They said they will spend the night in a hotel.
"It's not fair," resident Brian Annapolen said. "There are some elderly people in this neighborhood."
The company says some customers may be without power overnight.