UPDATE: Pole fire, power outage in Lowman Beach area

11:12 PM: Thanks to Aaron for the tip. SFD is at a call on Lincoln Park Way described as a “transformer fire,” and they’ve asked SPD to close the street to traffic.

(Added: Reader photo)

11:38 PM: SFD has closed out the call. But a texter and commenters report power’s out in the Lowman Beach area – nothing on the Seattle City Light map, though.

11:43 PM: Mapped now – 249 customers out.

1:16 AM: Still out, going on two hours.

9:29 AM: As noted in commenters, the power was restored around 6:30 am, after about seven hours.

2:29 PM: We asked SCL spokesperson Jenn Strang for more specifics on what went wrong. She explained, “Crews determined that the equipment failure [which sparked the fire] originated in the primary insulators. This can sometimes occur during wet weather.”

Lowman Beach Resident January 11, 2022 (11:34 pm)

Live on Lincoln Park Way and the power just went out!

lowmanbeachdrive January 11, 2022 (11:36 pm)

Power out in the area

Amy January 11, 2022 (11:37 pm)

I’m near Lincoln Park Way and just lost power.

Mac January 11, 2022 (11:40 pm)

Power is out in the neighborhood as well.

Miss Marlow January 11, 2022 (11:56 pm)

11:55pm, still out.

Anthony Nedeiros January 12, 2022 (12:37 am)

Been watching the top of a pole fractured and supported by the aluminum streetlight arm. The creosote is keeping it flaming.. The wires are still connected, but the top 8 feet and crossbars are bound to drop sometime.
- WSB January 12, 2022 (12:41 am)
  
  Still flaming? Is SFD back? Log showed they left a long time ago but if you have a flaming power line I would hope they’d have come back …
- Anthony Medeiros January 12, 2022 (5:23 am)
  
  ( cue Glen Campbell’s melodic guitar strumming and soulful voice singing, “and the Seattle City Linemen are Stilll on the Line!!!”). so… SCL has removed ( wish I had seen That!! ) the collapsed pole top and crossbars and the remaining pole down to the lower lines. To my less-than-knowledgable eye, they have appeared to have spliced / repaired the the three top transmission lines. They have finished using their huge, noisy vacuum digger to create a hole for the replacement pole adjacent to the remaining lower half of the old pole. And now the new pole is laying on the sidewalk , soon to be craned into place. These Skilled Workers Rock Mightily!!! They deserve all the respect and gratitude we can muster! My fridge-load of food will be saved from wastage, and I estimate our homes won’t even get that cold before power is back on. Might have to go out for coffee, or fire up the camp stove. Until then, I’ve got the inner warmth of feeling well taken care of – Thanks!!!

Tim Cameron January 12, 2022 (2:49 am)

Still out

Trileigh January 12, 2022 (6:02 am)

Down near Pelly Place, power’s still out at 6 am!

Ramage January 12, 2022 (6:02 am)

Power lines being restrung. Hopefully, power will be on soon.

Marcus January 12, 2022 (6:19 am)

That appears to be more than a transformer fire. And for the top to break off just due to a transformer fire, the transformer hangs off to the side. Odd combination.

Resident January 12, 2022 (6:34 am)

Power just restored!

Trileigh January 12, 2022 (6:43 am)

And back on at 6:35!

florida January 12, 2022 (8:41 am)

During outage there was a high pitched noise . Was it the Vacuum digger for replacement pole? Or generators? It cycled in and out. Anyone else hear it?

Kersti Elisabeth Muul January 12, 2022 (12:06 pm)

Just an FYI transformers are full of mineral oil…

WSB January 12, 2022 (2:32 pm)

Updated with a bit more detail on the cause.

florida January 12, 2022 (4:45 pm)

Where’s the update?
- WSB January 12, 2022 (5:47 pm)
  
  Last paragraph, timestamped 2:29 pm.
  - florida January 13, 2022 (9:12 am)
    
    Thanks and thanks for all you do.reeally appreciated!

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