Crime & Safety

Smoke from Electrical Short Causes Main St. Closure

Main St. was closed for several hours Tuesday after smoke from an electrical short in an underground vault was reported.

Part of Main St. was closed down early Tuesday after an electrical short in an underground vault caused a smoke hazard in a nearby store.

According to Woodbridge Fire Dept. Captain John Golden, CVS on Main St. had called with a complaint about a "smell of smoke" in the store around 9 am. The fire dept. responded, he said, and they examined the store and found no source to the odor.

Golden said he noticed smoke coming from a nearby manhole cover, the type that covers the vaults through which electrical wires are snaked, and which provide access to the equipment for service.

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PSE&G was notified, the captain said, and they responded with equipment and an underground crew to take care of the electrical short.

"We've had these calls in the past," Golden said. The PSE&G crew pumped water out of the vault and attended to the problem.

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Main St., near the intersection of Amboy Ave., was closed for about two hours.

The Woodbridge Fire Dept. cordoned off the street as a security precaution, and made sure the smoke didn't extend beyond the manhole covers, Golden said.

"There was no damage or dollar loss in the incident," the captain said.

He speculated the cause of the electrical short could've been from the age of the equipment, or the salt and melted snow from recent snowfalls seeping into the vault.


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