MADISON (AP) — A company said a faulty part caused fires at two transmission substations in Wisconsin’s capital that knocked out power to thousands of customers on a sweltering day in the summer.
American Transmission Company is in charge of the transformer that burst into flames at an electrical station in Madison in July. The company said a faulty voltage regulator sparked the fires.
The fires began July 19 when a transformer caught fire at the Madison Gas and Electric main power center. That sparked a second fire at a substation near the University of Wisconsin-Madison, prompting evacuations.
ATC Anne Spaltholz told Wisconsin Public Radio that typically a transformer automatically goes offline without a fire if equipment malfunctions.
No one was hurt. At its peak, more than 13,000 people were without power.
