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Almost 13,000 Hydro One customers were left in the dark Friday night due to downed power lines and clown transformer.
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A Hydro One worker responds to a power outage in Kingston’s west end due to downed power lines and a blown transformer in Kingston on the evening of Friday, July 31, 2026. Photo by Bill Hall /The Kingston Whig-Standard
The downed lines near the intersection of Midland Avenue and Princess Street occurred shortly after 7 p.m. An electrical arc between the lines caused a transformer to blow.
Kingston firefighters and police were dispatched to respond to reports of an explosion, which was believed to be caused by the blown transformer on Midland.
“Hydro One crews are on site and assessing the situation after an outage impacting approximately 12,800 customers occurred in Kingston,” said Kaitlyn Ford, a spokesperson for Hydro One.
An earlier report from Hydro One mentioned a vehicle colliding with a hydro pole but it was determined on Saturday that there was no vehicle involved and it was simply a “malfunction in the infrastructure.”
According to Hydro One, the power outage affected customers from Kingston west into Prince Edward County.
Hydro One initially estimated electricity would be restored by 9:45 p.m. Power began to come back on in west-end neighbourhoods around 11:15 p.m. Some resients didn’t see power until early morning Saturday.
Residents living in the area wrote on social media about hearing a loud boom just before the power was cut.
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