Fire Knocks Out Power, Gas Service To Thousands Of Customers In Hopewell Junction

Emergency crews in Dutchess County were called about a fire along Route 82 in Hopewell Junction shortly before 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Photos shared on Facebook showed flames shooting nearly 100 feet into the air from an electrical substation.

The fire was extinguished by 3:30 p.m., and service for electric customers was expected to be restored by early Tuesday evening, Central Hudson Gas & Electric said. Gas outages were expected to last through Wednesday, Sept. 4.

“Central Hudson crews have isolated the area where the fire took place and will work to make repairs once the area has been made safe,” said Eric Kiszkiel, vice resident of gas engineering and operations at Central Hudson.

“We are conducting direct outreach to our impacted customers, and once repairs are complete, we will begin the process of restoring service.”

More than 4,000 customers lost power due to the fire, and 500 experienced interruptions to gas service.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured or what caused the fire.

Central Hudson is working with local responders to assess damage and make repairs, the utility said.

Customers were encouraged to report gas odors by calling 1-800-942-8274 or 911.

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