Two New Jersey communities are suffering power outages during one of the coldest stretches of winter on Wednesday after a fire at a substation, according to officials.
Highland Park and Edison residents lost their power several times after the blaze broke out at a PSE&G substation in Edison. The utility said the fire affected essential equipment that takes time to repair, and with the cold temperatures putting heavy demand on the power grid, even temporary fixes on the equipment failed.
Thousands of frustrated customers tried contacting the company for answers.
"I lost power three times just today," said Ghada Elalfy. "It will keep coming on and it goes right back."
"I can't get anything done. Our food goes bad, I can't cook for my family. You know, I have four kids and a dog," said Elalfy.
A PSE&G spokesperson said "crews will continue to monitor the demand in the station and add additional equipment as needed until permanent repairs are made."
The company could not estimate when repairs will be complete. In the meantime, workers were at the substation trying to install a tmeporary fix and cut down on outages.
