Transformer explodes at Port Angeles public pool

PORT ANGELES — A transformer exploded at William Shore Memorial Pool at 11:10 a.m. this morning, cutting power to portions of nearby City Hall.

Pool Executive Director Steve Burke said no one was injured at the pool at 225 E. Fifth St.

The Peninsula Communications dispatch center was operating on generator power shortly after the explosion.

The pool, which has been closed since May 24 for renovations, was scheduled to be reopened on Monday, but Burke said the reopening would be delayed at least one day.

“Thankfully, part of the upgrade was adding a lot of surge protection,” Burke said.

“Hopefully we didn’t lose anything in the process.”

Maintenance crews were working on the plumbing system when the power shut off and surged back on with “kind of a boom,” Burke said.

“Nobody knows what happened,” he added.

Port Angeles City Clerk Janessa Hurd said the power had been restored an hour after the explosion.

“A lot of City Hall was affected, if not the bulk of it,” she said.

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