Transformer fault cuts power, shutters Naperville school
BY BILL BIRD wbird@stmedianetwork.com January 29, 2013 11:38PM
Updated: January 31, 2013 10:51PM
Some parochial school students had the day off as Naperville Public Works crews remained busy early Wednesday morning, repairing the damage caused by an electrical transformer failure late Tuesday night. Naperville firefighters and police were called to the campus of a Roman Catholic Church school south and west of the city’s downtown, but initial reports of a fire there proved unfounded.
No fire or similar emergency resulted when the transformer blew about 10:18 p.m. just south of Aurora Avenue near its intersection with Wild Cherry Road, Naperville Fire Department Capt. Phillip DeMik said.
“Information directly from our Control Center states the outage was due to weather conditions (about 10:20 p.m.), which affected the circuit that feeds All Saints School at 1155 Aurora Ave.,” city dispatcher Mary Turek wrote in an email Wednesday morning. “As a result, there was a cable fault and fuse damage.”
School officials, uncertain how long the repairs would take, opted to close school for the day, Turek reported.
The outage brought 22 firefighters and 12 to 14 emergency police and fire vehicles to the school, which lies several blocks east of the city’s main police and fire headquarters.
DeMik said the transformer fault caused a power outage inside the school which, in turn, triggered a fire alarm. The school was closed for the day and sustained no damage, and DeMik said firefighters and police began leaving the area following a 20-minute investigation.
The transformer was reportedly located in the unincorporated Lawn Meadow area of DuPage County, which is surrounded by Naperville. City dispatchers said the transformer failure cut off the electricity to the school, but no other outages were reported as a result of the weather.
