A malfunctioning electrical transformer behind the courthouse resulted in a loss of power for several businesses and city offices Tuesday afternoon.
Kentucky Utilities received reports that the transformer was smoking and, at approximately 3 p.m., the transformer was de-energized so electricians could investigate the cause. Cliff Feltham, KU spokesman, said that the transformer was overloaded and had to be replaced.
The block around the courthouse, which includes Cleveland Avenue, Lexington Avenue, Court Street and Wall Street, was without power for approximately five hours. Offices affected included City Hall, the Clark County Detention Center, the unemployment offices and the courthouse.
Jailer Bobby Stone said the jail was powered by a diesel-fueled generator during the outage. The generator is tested every Thursday to make sure it is still in working order.
“We operated real good. We didn’t have any problems. The generator kicked on like it was supposed to,” Stone said.
The jail has never experienced a total outage before, but Stone said that operations continued as normal.
