Wet vine causes power outage off Atwood Road

Residents heard a boom just before they lost power about 1:10 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 in Hinkle's Wooded Acres, near Ray Drive and Grace Drive.  A message from ComEd indicated that six customers were affected by a power outage.

Neighbors had trouble telling where the boom came from because of the hilly nature of the subdivision. Water supplies were affected too because the homes use electric well pumps.  Charter Spectrum also announced an outage immediately afterwards. 

At the time, resident Vicki Defendi was leaning back in her recliner with electric head/footrest and said it took some effort to get out. "I complain about this recliner," she told our reporter, "but my brother keeps trying to buy it from me."

ComEd said, "We apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you. The preliminary restore time is 6:00 AM CT on 11/6/2022," which would have been seventeen hours.

But the power came back in an hour and a half. ComEd sent out three trucks and a technician told us a wet vine shorted out a wire: "Very simple."