DOWNTOWN OXFORD ? Power pole split in two, maybe the result of a lightning strike. Man trapped inside elevator. A power surge and electrical fire shut down the town’s bank. About 2,000 customers were left with no electricity.
Thursday, July 21 was no ordinary day and it certainly was a hectic one for Oxford firefighters.
It all started around 9:30 a.m. when the top portion of a power pole in the southeast parking lot snapped off and fell into the power lines directly below, where it became tangled and suspended in midair.
Some smoke and flames could be seen emanating from the spot in the pole where the break occurred. The smell of burning wood filled the air around it. Fire Chief Jack LeRoy speculated the pole may have been hit by lightning recently, causing it to slowly burn from the inside until the wood weakened and broke apart.
‘It does indeed appear that problem with the pole was caused by lightning,? according to DTE media representative John Austerberry.
Firefighters closed off the immediate area surrounding the pole while DTE Energy workers made temporary repairs to it.
During the repairs, workers shut off the power of approximately 2,000 customers, including all of downtown Oxford, from about 11:20 a.m. to 12:25 p.m., Austerberry said.
Unfortunately, when the power went off an employee of Cam Logic became trapped inside an elevator located in the two-story Meriam building at 10 N. Washington Street. The employee remained trapped until power was restored shortly before 12:30 p.m. He was not injured.
But the downtown’s troubles did not end when the power came back on.
When the system was reenergized, a line connected to a transformer on a pole behind the Oxford 7 Theater, near Stanton Street, came loose and fell to the ground. DTE crews went to the scene to repair it.
While this was going on, firefighters responded to a reported fire at Oxford Bank (60 S. Washington Street) around 12:38 p.m.
According to Chief LeRoy, the bank’s electrical systems were exposed to a ‘prolonged power surge? during which high voltage electricity was sent through several low voltage systems.
‘Basically, the bank received an over-voltage,? the chief said. ‘This caused the electrical equipment within the bank to overload and some caught fire.?
A shelf caught fire inside a closet where the routers for several electrical systems were stored, heavy smoke was found in one office area and several electrical outlets throughout the building had char marks around them, according to LeRoy.
Bank President and CEO Jeff Davidson said the power surge took out the bank’s security system (which was up and running the next morning), ‘fried? five computers, broke two air conditioning units, and damaged all three of the drive-through area’s pneumatic tubes. Two of the three tubes were restored to working order the next day as the bank reopened for business. The third was repaired by Saturday.
Other ‘odds and ends? such as a copier, fax machine and ’employee pop machine? were also damaged, according to Davidson.
‘We’re very fortunate,? he said. ‘The damage was minimal relative to what it could have been.?
Davidson credited Oxford firefighters and the bank staff for acting so quickly during this emergency.
‘Everyone (in the bank) started unplugging stuff as fast as they could,? he said.
While firefighters were dealing with the situation at the bank, one of the transformers on the pole behind the theater blew as a DTE employee was in the air making repairs to it from a bucket truck. When the yellowish smoke cleared, the worker was apparently uninjured.
DTE workers replaced all the transformers on that pole shortly after 4 p.m.
When power to the bank was restored around 6 p.m., LeRoy said fire personnel went through the building with an electrician slowly turning everything back on. The department cleared the scene shortly before 7 p.m.
Davidson noted that two employees spent the night in the bank to make sure there were no more problems.
When asked if the initial problem at the nearby transformers (i.e. the fallen line) had anything to do with the power surge at the bank, Austerberry said DTE is looking into the matter, but has not made a final determination.

nected to a transformer on a pole behind the Oxford 7 Theater, near Stanton Street, came loose and fell to the ground. DTE crews went to the scene to repair it.
While this was going on, firefighters responded to a reported fire at Oxford Bank (60 S. Washington Street) around 12:38 p.m.
According to Chief LeRoy, the bank’s electrical systems were exposed to a ‘prolonged power surge? during which high voltage electricity was sent through several low voltage systems.
‘Basically, the bank received an over-voltage,? the chief said. ‘This caused the electrical equipment within the bank to overload and some caught fire.?
A shelf caught fire inside a closet where the routers for several electrical systems were stored, heavy smoke was found in one office area and several electrical outlets throughout the building had char marks around them, according to LeRoy.
Bank President and CEO Jeff Davidson said the power surge took out the bank’s security system (which was up and running the next morning), ‘fried? five computers and damaged all three of the drive-through area’s pneumatic tubes. Two of the three tubes were restored to working order the next day as the bank reopened for business.
Other ‘odds and ends? such as a copier, fax machine and ’employee pop machine? were also damaged, according to Davidson.
‘We’re very fortunate,? he said. ‘The damage was minimal relative to what it could have been.?
Davidson credited Oxford firefighters and the bank staff for acting so quickly during this emergency.
‘Everyone (in the bank) started unplugging stuff as fast as they could,? he said.
While firefighters were dealing with the situation at the bank, one of the transformers on the pole behind the theater blew as a DTE employee was in the air making repairs to it from a bucket truck. When the yellowish smoke cleared, the worker was apparently uninjured.
DTE workers replaced all the transformers on that pole shortly after 4 p.m.
When power to the bank was restored around 6 p.m., LeRoy said fire personnel went through the building with an electrician slowly turning everything back on. The department cleared the scene shortly before 7 p.m.
Davidson noted that two employees spent the night in the bank to make sure there were no more problems.
When asked if the initial problem at the nearby transformers (i.e. the fallen line) had anything to do with the power surge at the bank, Austerberry said DTE is looking into the matter, but has not made a final determination.