NewsLocal NewsAkron Canton News

Actions

Fire at underground electrical vault causes power outages in Akron

Power Outages
Posted at 5:43 PM, Jan 23, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-23 20:07:24-05

AKRON, Ohio — A fire that broke out at an underground electrical vault in Akron caused power outages for numerous customers that are expected to last overnight, according to FirstEnergy.

The fire started around 9 a.m. in an underground electrical vault located at Main Street and West Market Street in Downtown Akron.

Crews from the Akron Fire Department responded to the scene and out out the blaze using foam. After the fire was out, crews had to work to clear the smoke and foam from the vaults, which delayed the assessment process, the power company said.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but left around 175 FirstEnergy accounts without power.

FirstEnergy crews plan to reconfigure the circuits in order to restore power, but called it a "long involved process."

Customers left without power are expected to have their service restored between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday.

The Akron Municipal Court will be closed Monday due to a power outage and lack of heat in the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center. All hearings, including arraignments, will be rescheduled later in the week.

Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.