1/5 Authorities Determine Faulty Wire To Blame In Red Bank Explosions

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Story by Caitlin Brown, John Burton. Photo by Tina Colella.
RED BANK – Schools remained closed on Monday after a series of underground explosions caused smoke and power outages along Broad Street in Red Bank on Sunday afternoon.
A faulty wire is to blame for the underground explosions causing businesses to evacuate temporarily and leaving some customers without power overnight.
According to Jersey Central Power and Light spokesman Ron Morano, a secondary wire experienced a “handhole” fault underground of Broad Street near Canal Street, resulting in a wire burning and resulting in a small explosion. The burning wire and smoke conditions then caused a second handhole fault nearby that resulted in secondary explosions.
No other electrical equipment, including transformers, above and below ground were affected, Morano said.
The effected wires feed into a service point that then feeds into a juncture, servicing hundreds of customers. The faulty wires resulted in approximately 260 customers losing power, but JCP&L crews had managed to restore power to all but ten customers by 9:20 p.m. Sunday night, Morano said.
Red Bank Catholic and St. James School remained closed on Monday after the winter recess in order for JCP&L crews to continue their work and investigation, according to messages posted on each schools’ websites. All schools were scheduled to be reopened on Tuesday. Calls went unanswered at both schools.
Marie Ventrella, manager at Oneblowdrybar on Broad Street, felt several explosions Sunday afternoon while working. After smoke became heavy on the street, police and fire crews entered the business and asked workers and customers to evacuate.
Estrella says business was affected that afternoon, as the shop was forced to cancel appointments due to the evacuation order and power loss. Estrella says power was fully restored by 9 a.m. this morning, with business back on schedule.