Transformer Fires Knock Out Power for Thousands in Stoughton

For the second consecutive Saturday, thousands in Stoughton were without power because of an issue at a National Grid substation on Sumner St.

A transformer fire at the National Grid substation at 171 Sumner St. and another transformer fire about 1.3 miles down the road at the Kindred Hospital at 909 Sumner St. (the former Goddard Hospital) around 10 p.m. on April 7 triggered the outages, Lt. Jim Campbell of the said.

The Stoughton Fire Department and National Grid responded to the scene. There was a minor brush fire at the substation, Campbell said.

Campbell said the incident is being investigated but the cause of the fires is unknown at this time.

According to the National Grid outage website, about 2,440 National Grid customers, or roughly 20 percent of the town’s 12,000 total customers, lost power as a result.

A pocket of 1,740 customers lost power on parts on Park St., Pleasant St., Central St., and Washington St. Another pocket of 700 customers lost power in the Sumner St. area and the Sumner Gardens neighborhood (Atkinson Ave. area).

As of Sunday morning, April 8, power had been restored, according to the National Grid outage website.

The previous Saturday, March 31, almost 11,000 National Grid customers in Stoughton (90 percent of customers) when a breaker opened at the Sumner St. substation.