Rt. 12 Reopened in Norwich 20 Hours After Transformer Blast

Traffic is moving smoothly again on Route 12 in Norwich after being detoured for more than 20 hours due to a transformer explosion and fire fueled by a natural gas line break.

Chenango County Emergency Services officials report there were no injuries in spite of the very dangerous situation between County Roads 46 and 32B that started with the transformer blast at 9:30 p.m. May 2 that brought down power lines, damaged a utility pole and sparked the day-long fire fueled by natural gas in a broken line.

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The scene wasn’t cleared until about 6 p.m. May 3.

There’s no word on what caused the transformer to fail and blow.

Hundreds of New York State Electric and Gas customers were without power in the area through mid-morning. NYSEG crews were on the scene making repairs all day while the Norwich Fire Department stood by.