A fire in a transformer knocked out power to a low-income apartment building Friday during a heat wave.
The Bangor Fire Department arrived shortly before 2 p.m. at Gallagher Place for a report of an electrical fire, Assistant Chief Andrew Emery said.
Firefighters found a transformer at ground level on fire, he said. It sits on a concrete pad next to Bangor House Apartments and wires run underground into the six-story building.
“It was pretty spectacular when we got here,” Emery said. “This was all smoke and there were explosions happening inside that cabinet.”
It appears the transformer overheated and caused an electrical fire just a few feet from the building, he said.
Firefighters evacuated the building until Versant Power arrived to disconnect the power, Emery said. Residents of the apartment building, which houses disabled or elderly people, are allowed back inside but there is no power.
People who didn’t want to go back inside the building were taken to the Bangor Area Transit Center which was opened as a cooling center, Emery said. A Community Connector bus took about 20 people to the location.
The building is out of power on one of the hottest days so far this summer as the heat index is around 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
The Red Cross has been contacted and the fire department is checking with building management to see if there is insurance or some way to get people into a hotel, Emery said.
If Versant is able to find the right parts, power may be restored by Friday night.
“But, this could be a prolonged outage for sure,” he said.