Power Back after Equipment Issues Send Wyckoff Back into the Dark

Power went out in parts of Wyckoff, Midland Park and Allendale Friday night for about two hours after an equipment problem in Allendale, according to officials.

The cause of the problem reportedly was an equipment switch malfunction near the intersection of West Crescent and Brookside avenues in Allendale, according to Wyckoff Mayor Chris DePhillips. The issue was first reported around 5:30 p.m. Friday, and power was reported by for all affected areas by approximately 7:30 p.m.

The black out struck in Wyckoff at Boulder Run, sections of Russell Avenue, the Central Business District and parts of the township near McFaul Environmental Center. Power also went out around the area of the intersection of Godwin Avenue and Goffle Road in Midland Park, which backed up traffic in every direction on both of those streets.

A Midland Park Police officer responded to direct traffic at the heavily trafficked intersection where lights were out.

Power hadn't been interrupted to the shopping center on Godwin Avenue, nor to the A&P on Goffle Road.

The Wyckoff Police Department was also "slammed" with calls from residents who lost power, according to Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox.

Mayor DePhillips said he spoke with Orange & Rockland President William G. Longhi shortly after the outage. The utility president explained the source of the problem in Allendale as an "equipment switch problem." 

Longhi reportedly also told DePhillips that the utility's systems were still very sensitive after extensive damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Following the initial outages, Allendale Police established a perimiter and blocked traffic for several blocks around the intersection of West Crescent and Brookside avenues while utility crews inspected a pole on West Crescent.

A faint smell of burning synthetic material was apparent in the air around the neighborhood. 

Power returned to parts of Midland Park around 6:30 p.m. and traffic there was flowing smoothly again. Boulder Run and the rest of Wyckoff had come back online around 7:30 p.m. according to the mayor and several reader reports.

The problem was initially reported to be related to a "transformer fire" at that intersection, but when a Wyckoff-Franklin Lakes Patch reporter showed up at the scene shortly after the blackout, no fire was visible.

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