15-Story Binghamton Tower Without Power After Transformer Blast

Electric service to one of downtown Binghamton's tallest buildings was knocked out following a reported transformer explosion.

The incident happened on Chenango Street near the bus station around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday.

People who live in the 15-floor apartment building at 100 Chenango Place reported hearing a loud "boom" before the power went out.

A generator provided backup power to 100 Chenango Place on August 31, 2022. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

An on-site generator provided limited electric service to the 144-unit structure. The backup power kept one of the building's two elevators in operation.

Kelly Packard of NYSEG said the outage was "caused by a faulted elbow in an underground transformer." In an email, she said "an elbow is a piece of equipment that connects the conductor to the transformer in underground construction."

Packard said 639 utility customers originally were affected. That number was reduced to 173 after crews were able to sectionalize the problem.

The Chenango Street transformer explosion happened a short distance from an August 13 blast near the Verizon building on Henry Street. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

NYSEG'S website indicated some Chenango Street customers also were without electricity early Wednesday afternoon.

The latest underground electrical equipment problem happened less than three weeks after an explosion in a nearby transformer vault in front of the Verizon building on Chenango Street. Packard said there was "no relation" between the two incidents.

NYSEG workers were repairing underground equipment on Chenango Street on August 31, 2022. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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