Thousands lose electric power in U.S. northeast as substation goes down in fire

July 14, 2012 – SALINA, NY — Thousands of National Grid customers were in the dark during a major power outage on Friday. The outage had the greatest affect on customers in Syracuse and Salina, and was sparked by a fire at a National Grid substation in Liverpool. The substation caught fire around 12:30am on Friday. A National Grid spokesperson says the fire is believed to be specifically caused by bushlings, which allow energy to pass between pieces of equipment and are a vital component of substations. National Grid has asked thousands of customers to conserve power while they are re-routing those serviced by the substation to other grids. To minimize strain on grids, customers are asked to unplug unnecessary electronics and turn up the temperatures on air conditioners to 70-72 degrees. Those asked to conserve seem willing to comply, despite the 90 degree temperatures. “It’s hot, yeah, but there’s other ways we can keep cool,” said Salina National Grid customer Daniel Zaborskiy. “Like instead of using A/C, we can use a fan, for instance.” Some affected by the outages are upset with National Grid. “They should provide a service and we should have confidence and know that they’re going to deliver that service to us, like they want their money on time at all times,” said Syracuse customer Taj Bey. –CNY Central