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3 Utility Employees Hurt in Blast at a Power Substation

By CLIFFORD J. LEVY,
Published: March 31, 1994
A transformer at a power station here exploded this morning in a deafening fireball, critically injuring three workers, knocking out electricity to nearly 30,000 customers in Hudson County for more than an hour and disrupting traffic and train service.

It was not immediately clear why the transformer, which carries 230,000 volts of electricity, malfunctioned and then blew up about 10 A.M., but officials said workers at the Penhorn substation, in a marshy area near the border of Jersey City and North Bergen, appeared to have been following proper procedures.

"They were doing some normal maintenance adjacent to the transformer that failed in an area that had been de-energized for them to work in and was totally safe," said Robert Snow, a maintenance manager at Public Service Electric and Gas.

The blast leaked thousands of gallons of mineral oil used for cooling the transformer. The oil ignited into the fireball, seriously burning the workers, damaging four high-voltage power lines and turning two trucks into charred wrecks. Mr. Snow said no hazardous materials were released in the blast.

Power was lost for more than an hour in parts of Jersey City, Secaucus and North Bergen. In office buildings, people were stuck in elevators and computer systems crashed, officials said. With traffic signals off, police officers had to direct vehicles.

Service on PATH trains was halted for about 45 minutes, but there were no delays on New Jersey Transit. The authorities reported no other injuries besides those of the utility workers, though there were some minor traffic accidents.

"It seems that the traveling public who was on the road, recognizing the problem and the danger, was extraordinarily cautious," said the Hudson County Executive, Robert Janiszewski.

By rerouting electricity, Public Service Electric and Gas restored power to 28,000 customers after about 65 minutes, said Neil Brown, a spokesman for the utility. About 700 customers had to wait about three hours. An additional 22,000 customers experienced a brief power loss at the time of the explosion, Mr. Brown said.

The two most severely injured utility workers were taken by helicopter to University Hospital in Newark and underwent emergency surgery.

Patrick Walker, 27, a substation mechanic from North Arlington, N.J., suffered second- and third-degree burns to 90 percent of his body, and Duane Doffont, 44, a chief substation mechanic from Kearny, N.J., was severely burned over 60 percent of his body, the hospital said. Both were listed in critical condition.

Mr. Doffont and a third mechanic, Edward Blatz, 63, of Congers, N.Y., were transferred to the burn unit at St. Barnabas Medical Center, in Livingston. Mr. Blatz had second- and third-degree burns to 40 percent of his body and was in stable condition before the transfer to St. Barnabas, the authorities said.

Another two workers were treated for smoke inhalation at Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus, officials said.

The blast recalled a four-alarm fire in 1990 at a Con Edison substation in Manhattan that blacked out Wall Street and forced thousands of people to leave skyscrapers by stairs. Fear and Heroics

This morning, workers at offices around the power station in Jersey City said the explosion was so loud that they immediately ran outside, fearing for their lives.

When he reached the power station, Brian Cigol, an emergency medical technician who is an account manager at the Transport International Pool office across Secaucus Road, found his way blocked by a fence.

So he and some other passers-by rammed a truck through the fence to get to the injured. "There was flame, there was a tremendous amount of heavy smoke," said Mr. Cigol, 33. "It was a very upsetting situation. It's hard for me to concentrate now."

Edwin Sanchez, 47, who also works nearby, said at first he believed that the fireball would engulf his office.

"It sounded like a helicopter landing," he said. "I looked at it and I saw a big ball of fire. And then there was a lot of wind, and I thought the fire was going to come over here. I had never seen a big ball of fire like that."

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实在是看不懂啊 有没有人给翻译一下

[本帖由二楼2号修改于2009-02-28 13:09:01]