A Center City street was flooded with foam while over 2,000 customers lost power following a reported explosion at a PECO power substation.
Foam Floods Center City Street
Officials first received several calls reporting the sound of an explosion at the PECO power substation on 400 S. Juniper Street around 1 p.m. Saturday.
"There was this loud bang noise and I was like, 'Oh boy. I hope everything is okay," said Christian Bygott, a witness.
The station's fire suppression system activated itself after the reported explosion and flooded the building with foam which then leaked onto the 400 block of Juniper Street. Some of the foam slowly poured into Bygott's backyard.
"[It was] sort of like that old movie, 'The Blob' except it was its really super slow cousin," he said.
A viewer also sent NBC10 a video of the foam pouring from the roof of the substation onto the ground. During the video the sound of a loud blast is heard and a bright flash can be seen at the building, indicating an explosion.
A fire official said no one was inside the substation during the reported blast.
"One of the transformers did go off a line and then as the foam fills the building and the system worked exactly like its supposed to, it may have shut down another set of transformers and that's what caused the power outage in the area," the official said.
The bizarre spew of foam from the station was caught on video by shocked neighbors near Juniper Street.
"When the wind blew from the open courtyard area it was taking the foam out of the courtyard and that is what made it look like snow," the fire official said.
At one point the foam on the street was around six-feet high.
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"People were joking saying it was like Christmas," said Mark DeLucca, another witness.
Around 17 units, including a Hazmat Task Force, were sent to the foam-flooded street. The foam is similar to the substance used in washing machines and is non-hazardous, according to officials. They also say it has no detrimental effects on the environment.
Crews are currently washing the foam down the sewer system under the direction of the Philadelphia Water Department and their Industrial Waste Unit.
When the activation occurred the power went out for about 2500 nearby customers and a shelter in place went into effect for nearby homes. During the outage, some people in nearby high rises were trapped inside elevators. A Philadelphia Fire Department task force was able to remove eight to ten people who were trapped. Backup systems in the high rises kicked in shortly after and elevator service returned. No one was injured during the incident.
Power was restored to all customers around 4 p.m. Officials continue to investigate the cause of the reported blast.
