NORTHAMPTON — Fire engulfed a utility pole at King and North streets on Monday night, causing extensive power and cable outages in the downtown area that lasted for several hours.
The fire was reported at 8:11 p.m. in front of Autopart International at 137 King St. Assistant Fire Chief Andy Pelis said the cause of the fire remains unknown.
Pelis said firefighters simply had to “wait for the electric company to come shut off the power.” Two fire engines were on standby in case the fire spread, but since it was an electrical fire, no water was used to fight the flames.
The department can deploy dry suppression chemicals, but those chemicals also were not used.
Crews worked through the night and into Wednesday morning to repair the pole and restore power and cable service.
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.