Back Bay Hit By Brief But Large Power Outage
BOSTON (CBS) - A large power outage affected parts of Boston for a short time Tuesday around noon.
Power was restored in less than an hour. NStar confirmed that the outage stemmed from an issue at the Scotia Street substation, the same substation where a transformer fire caused a major blackout in March that lasted four days.
"The exact cause of the outage is under investigation," NStar said in a statement. "However we can confirm that there was no damage to any electrical components, that's why we were able to restore power in such a short amount of time."
Since the transformer fire on March 13, NStar says its crews have been working to replace the transformer, make repairs, and put in additional contingencies to limit the extent of future outages.
The area affected by Tuesday's outage was "Charles River to the Fenway area, to Columbus Avenue in the South End, over to Clarendon Street and back to the Charles River," according to NStar.
Boston police deployed additional officers to area intersections to help with traffic. A number of traffic lights were affected by Tuesday's brief outage.
The MBTA said the outage did not affect Green Line service.
Maria Varmazis, who works on the 29th floor of the Prudential Tower, was talking to WBZ-TV as the power came back on in her office.
"We're kind of stuck up here unless you want to take the 29 floors of stairs down," she said just seconds before the lights flickered on.
"I don't think I'll be taking the elevator because I know a lot of people were stuck, or at least that's what I was hearing," she noted afterward.
