ComEd fire in Wilmette causes ‘widespread’ power outage to about 5,000

Thousands of Wilmette and Kenilworth residents were without power Friday, April 30, after a fire at the ComEd substation at Washington Court and 12th Street in Wilmette.

Wilmette Village Manager Mike Braiman said no injuries or damage to Wilmette property were reported.

About 5,000 area residences were affected by the power outage, but as of 6:15 p.m., only about 150 properties were still without power, according to Luz Bottecchia, a spokesperson for ComEd.

“We are working to get them back up as quickly and safely as possible,” she said, adding that the cause of the fire was not yet known and ComEd is “still assessing the damage and the cause is still under investigation.”

Outages are mostly occurring east of Ridge Road to Sheridan Road, according to a social media post by the Wilmette Police Department.

Wilmette Village Manager Michael Braiman told The Record “that early indications are that a generator blew” at the substation, but ComEd was unable to confirm the equipment involved by publication time.

Requests for comment from the Wilmette Fire Department were not returned as of publication time.

Check back for updates to this developing story

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