Community Center

Power Restored To St. John Following Transformer Fire On Wednesday

ST. JOHN -- WAPA personnel has successfully restored electrical service to customers on St. John, 24 hours after a power transformer immediately outside of WAPA’s electrical substation caught fire, resulting in the island being left without electrical service. The restoration of service followed a daylong effort to ensure that, although smoke had entered the substation, there was no damage to equipment that would have prevented service from being restored, WAPA siad. Crews worked through the day to clean electrical equipment of soot and residue while preparing the substation to be energized. By 6 p.m. Thursday evening, procedures were underway to reenergize the submarine cables that provide electrical service from St. Thomas to St. John, and restoring the substation. The island’s two feeders, 7E and 9E, were then restored bringing electrical service to residents across the island, the utility said. “Once again, I thank the community of St. John for their patience in the aftermath of la...