Wildwood was in the dark through the weekend. Why did it take so long to restore power?

Jim Walsh and Carol Comegno, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·4 min read

WILDWOOD – Adam and Katelyn Loncar just had an unforgettable weekend here.

Unfortunately, the Pennsylvania couple didn’t have the happy memories that tourists might expect.

Instead, the vacationers arrived around at this beach resort just as a utility substation fire knocked out electricity for Wildwood and surrounding communities.

“No AC, pitch black stores, empty boardwalk. Lots of people slept in their cars or outside,” Adam Loncar recounted in a Facebook post. “A weekend we will always remember for the rest of our lives.”

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Loncar's nightmarish experience was shared by about 24,000 customers of Atlantic City Electric, who lost power after a substation fire in Wildwood around noon Friday.

The utility initially made optimistic projections of a return to normalcy for later Friday.

But as the power outage continued, the utility pushed back its restoration estimates. Ultimately, crews could not return power to everyone until about 4:25 a.m. Sunday.

And even then, the utility acknowledged some customers might see "additional brief temporary interruptions."

What caused the Wildwoods blackout?

The power went out on Friday afternoon when the utility “deenergized” its fire-damaged substation on Lake Avenue in Wildwood.

Atlantic City Electric issued a statement at 9:42 p.m. Friday, noting electricity had been restored for about 15,000 customers. That left about 9,000 customers still in the dark.

“Based on the work that must be completed, we expect your service will be restored sometime tonight or tomorrow,” the utility said.

Workers labor around the clock from Friday to early Sunday to repair and replace equipment to an electrical grid substation of Atlantic City Electric following a fire there that caused a power outage to 24,000 customers on the Jersey Shore barrier island.
Workers labor around the clock from Friday to early Sunday to repair and replace equipment to an electrical grid substation of Atlantic City Electric following a fire there that caused a power outage to 24,000 customers on the Jersey Shore barrier island.

In fact, the blackout continued for some customers until almost dawn on Sunday.

The utility reconnected about 2,000 customers by 5 a.m. Saturday and 3,500 more by 3 a.m. Sunday. The final 3,500 customers had power by 4:24 a.m. Sunday, a spokesperson said.

More interruptions may occur as the utility continues to balance energy demand across its system, the utility said.

It also noted the recovery effort relied on "a significant amount of temporary equipment, including large generators and equipment from out of state."

It said brief outages are possible "as more permanent devices are brought back online."

The outage affected customers in Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood, West Wildwood and Lower Township.

Why was power out for so long?

"This was an extremely complex restoration," said utility spokesman Ben Armstrong.

"Unfortunately, in some cases, customer demand was higher than anticipated in some areas, and that caused the temporary devices to overload and trip, much like a circuit breaker in your home," Armstrong said. "Our operations personnel had to reroute the flow of power via devices to reduce the demand on the temporary equipment.

The utility also had to "temporarily build multiple connections" between undamaged equipment at the substation and devices that deliver electricity to customers," Armstrong noted.

A flatbed truck brings electrical power equipment Friday night to the Atlantic City Electric substation of Lake Avenue after a fire at its control building caused a power outage to 24,000 customers on the Wildwoods' barrier island at the Jersey Shore
A flatbed truck brings electrical power equipment Friday night to the Atlantic City Electric substation of Lake Avenue after a fire at its control building caused a power outage to 24,000 customers on the Wildwoods' barrier island at the Jersey Shore

He said the utility is "working on more permanent solutions to help keep our customers powered."

The substation fire, which was contained shortly after 1 p.m., remains under investigation.

What happened on the Boardwalk?

Much of the Boardwalk was strangely subdued Friday and Saturday.

Mariner's Arcade, a Boardwalk attraction, on Saturday afternoon noted it would be closed for the normally busy evening hours.

“We hope tomorrow is a brighter day and wish all those without power the best," it said in a Facebook post.

The arcade opened with power on Sunday.

“We are happy to announce we are now open and operating as usual," it said in a 10 a.m. post that thanked “everyone involved in getting the power back and keeping (the) island safe during the blackout."

Near the center of Wildwood's Boardwalk, Douglass Fudge lost power Friday, then regained it Saturday until another interruption from 10 p.m. until early Sunday.

“We lost a day of business, which was substantial this time of year,” said Jason Dugen, the fudge store's owner.

But, he also observed, "We were luckier than most."

Atlantic City Electric expressed gratitude for the "monumental effort" of its employees and local contractors.

It also acknowledged “this has been a challenging event for our customers and those who are vacationing on the island, and we thank them for their patience and understanding as we worked to restore service.”

“We will do everything possible to minimize any further impacts on our customers and the local community,” it said.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter at the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Reach him at jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Wildwood blackout longer than expected, ends after 'monumental' effort