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Boston Fire Department
Flames burst through a garage housing a 115,000-volt transformer in Boston's Back Bay.
Updated at 9:08 p.m. ET: A 390-room hotel was evacuated, major streets were closed and residents were urged to seal their windows Tuesday night as crews battled a four-alarm transformer fire in downtown Boston.
Boston Medical Center said "several patients" were treated for smoke inhalation, WBZ-TV reported.
The fire erupted about 6:30 p.m. ET in a garage in Back Bay, a neighborhood known for its meticulously preserved 19th-century brownstone homes and other architectural landmarks, including the Boston Public Library, NBC station WHDH reported.
The garage is just around the corner from the Back Bay Hilton, which was evacuated as thick black smoke poured from the 115,000-volt transformer. Transit stations and major roads, including Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue, were closed.
Officials, after earlier warning people to stay away from the smoky fire, said the transformer that was ablaze was cooled with non-toxic mineral oil.
“While not toxic, it is never good to inhale any kind of smoke,” the department tweeted.
Twitter.com
Several city blocks were without power after the fire department ordered electricity shut off to the area so the fire could be confronted.
Smoke from the blaze dissipated mid-evening, the fire department reported about 9 p.m.
Electric utility officials said they would work on restoring power to 20,000 customers once they had a clear assessment of damage in the burned substation. The fire caused a problem at a second substation, officials said.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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MSNBC, needs help with headlines and captions. The headline was misleading the caption about the smoke possibly being toxic, while, all smoke is toxic.
All smoke is toxic, yes. Smoke from a transformer is extraordinarily toxic. Don't be a pedant.
If the 15kv transformer has PCBs, as most this size do, there indeed may be a serious heath risk.
Make that 115 kv transformer
Fareed,
The article stated that the cooling oil was non-toxic mineral oil, hence no PCB'c or Dioxin. The smoke is still harmful, but not laced with PCB's
Fareed
PCBs are not used in transformers anymore. They were replaced decades ago.
It is glad that the fire alarm is working and well and it has saving people. And there are no death.
How soon will Obama be blamed for this? Can't wait to see the haters come out in force once again.
well, since you brought it up...
The irony of a picture with a "Do Not Enter" sign in front of a blazing building. :)
Blame Obama....
Let us not forget... The Cocoanut Grove.
This recent fire of 2012 occurred a mere six blocks away from the tragic Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston (November 28, 1942) that claimed 492 lives--during the initial fire of about 15 minutes' duration, and over the following days as victims died from burns and smoke inhalation.
Google The Cocoanut Grove, Boston. Honor both the dead and the living--the brave military and civilians alike who jumped in to service to free people from the burning building and to rush the burn victims to hospitals around the city. Respect the laws that were enacted and the innovations that came out of it (fire doors, emergency exits, capacity limitations, clearly-marked exits, etc.). Admire the medical advances (blood banks, burn treatments, transportation issues) that we paid for in this country with so many lives.
Can someone who understands transformers clarify this? I assume a 115,000 volt transformer is quite large or powerful. Why would such a thing be in a garage? Is this typical? The article doesn't say if this was a residential or commercial garage or if they meant the garage was a power company substation of sorts that housed the transformer.
So any educational info from those who understand this stuff would be great!
remy1b....The size of the transformer indicates it to be a sub-station size. The garage is probably used for concealment in the neighborhood so the wires, supports etc. are not seen. The 115KVA transformer would cascade to lower residential/commercial voltages through windings of other transformers in that area of the city.
Thank you very much, fruity!!! Now this makes some sense to me. I couldn't imagine why such a transformer would be in a residential garage, lol! :) Thanks
That's not a substation size transformer. That is a typical size transformer for 3 phase power which you would see in a hotel. There are transformers everywhere you wouldn't expect them to be. Many are underground. So next time you are walking over a vault you might want to think twice. Or the next time you see small children playing on a pad mounted transformer you might want to let them know to stay away from them. I've seen vaults tip over cars and concrete vault lids fly several yards. PCB's have not been put into transformers since the early 1980s. It's not based on the size of the transformer but on the year it was manufactured.
Ksorum,
115Kv are used in substations. Just Google it.
Oh, and also note that 115Kv transformers are a big as a small house. Not placed underground.
I work in substations. They are talking about a 115 kva xfmr. Use common sense. Do you think they are going to have a substation step-down transformer in a hotel parking garage?
I worked at GE Power Transformer for 2 years and I know that xfmr is the same as transformer. Substations are placed above ground in buildings, and as you said below ground as well. I stand corrected. Oh, and yes they are going to have a substation step-down transformer in/or near a hotel parking garage. That's what this story stated. I would think if the reporter got more facts that the substation was not in the garage but in it's own enclosure as you would agree it would have to be. There must have been a fault in the substation and it spread to another adjoining structure.
ksorum,
If I may ask, where have you encountered a 115KVa substation located underground?
Underground distribution substations are also located near to the end-users. Distribution substation transformers change the subtransmission voltage to lower levels for use by end-users. Typical distribution voltages vary from 34,500Y/19,920 volts to 4,160Y/2400 volts.
This from the OSHA website!
115 KV is not a distribution voltage it is a transmission voltage. 55-60kv is considered subtransmission and anything less than that, typically 38-4kv is distribution voltage which is then further stepped down to the 120/240 volts or whatever the customer uses by service transformers like the one in the parking garage. The only place I've seen a customer have their own substation is at a mine or a casino where they use very large amounts of power. There is a difference between KV (Killivolts) and KVA (Killivolt-amps). Transformers are rated for the KVA they can handle and they take the primary distribution voltage and step it down to a lower distribution voltage for the customer. It's a little complicated to explain here and people go through many years of schooling/apprenticeships to learn so it makes sense that it's a little confusing.