UPDATE 1:30pm 12/3/2021: Central Hudson has responded with what caused the power outage. Please see below for the full explanation.

On the 5th night of Hanukkah, while candles were still burning and lights were glowing in homes, the power went out. From outside their windows of newly darkened rooms, some Beaconites saw flickering flashes of white light across the dark western sky, reminiscent of distant summer fireworks or lightening. The night was windy. Not all Beaconites even realized there was a storm until the power went out and some heard a loud explosion and saw the white lights.

Had the aliens finally landed? Was it happening? “I saw the white light and definitely thought alien invasion,” said one reader @laur1025. “Sigh. I’d welcome aliens at this point,” said another reader, @devaw. “Power still out in what has truly become an alternate universe,” said @scottxny, after the day closed with news from the Supreme Court making quite a few people upset.

The Source Of The White Lights

One reader saw two fire trucks arrive to the scene. One of A Little Beacon Blog’s citizen reporters, Brianne McDowell, was on the case moments after the explosion to find the source. She found the downed tree and pole on Beekman Street where High Street comes into it. High Street is the first street off Beekman as you’re headed to the train station, with the Victorian homes lining the steep hill, across the street from Spire Studios and Ron English’s PopMart. The picture of the down pole and tree on Thursday night is below.

Down power line across High Street. Down tree across Beekman Street. Both across from the Beacon Police Station and the new apartment buildings, The View on Thursday, December 2, 2021.
*Photo Credit: Brianne McDowell*

Moments after the flash, at least one pole was down on the ground, blocking High Street, across from the Beacon Police Station. A large tree had broken at the base and fallen across Beekman Street.

Thursday evening, one reader @jackoflackoflames, saw “crews out there working on the exploded transformer/tree now. Road still closed.”

By Friday morning, Beekman Street remained closed to cars, but pedestrians could continue walking to the MTA train station on the grass. Beacon’s Highway Department was on the scene Friday morning, cutting the fallen tree to remove it from the road. By Friday morning, the downed power line was gone, and power had been restored to several customers near Main Street.

The traffic light at 9D and Main Street was out, as were the crosswalk signals (there are new electric crosswalk signals that improve accessibility by beeping a signal calling the person to “Wait!” and then verbally announces which street one can cross).

Homes on High Street. The fallen power line and tree were at the base of High Street, across from the Police Station.
*Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin*

Photo Credits: Katie Hellmuth Martin

The flash storm took many by surprise. Usually Central Hudson and Optimum send emails warning about an upcoming storm that may cause a power outage. Neither had sent an email this time. “The rain was horizontal. I couldn’t believe it,” said reader @call.me.ella.mar. Murphy’s Law prevailed once again for an unexpected storm in Beacon. The last was remnants of Hurricane Ida, resulting in federal aid through FEMA.

Another reader, Patti Devine, wondered if the new construction being built in that area, which has eliminated several trees and replaced with solid structures, caused a wind vortex. Wind vortexes whip through building blocks in New York City. “My friend on High Street right there has had 2 trees fall on her house in the last couple of years,” Patti said. “Anyone think that maybe all the buildings there has caused a [wind] vortex in that area? Take down all those trees, and the storm has a new path to follow.”

ALBB is seeking confirmation on if the source of the fall is known. If it was lightening, a microburst, a tiny tornado, or other known weather condition.

The morning after the power line was cleared by Central Hudson. The City of Beacon’s Highway Department works to cut the tree in the middle of Beekman Street.
*Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin*

About 4,300 Power Outages Throughout Central Hudson Service Area

According to John Maserjian, Media Relations Director for Central Hudson, several people were impacted by the storm. Upon responding to ALBB to confirm details, John said: “As of now, there are currently about 4,300 outages throughout Central Hudson’s service area, mostly on the west side of the Hudson River, caused by high winds and trees.”

John responded with an explanation of what caused the power outage: “Our electric line foreman reports that a burst if wind toppled a tree onto the pole on Beekman street, breaking the pole and causing it to fall. There was no transformer on the pole, rather there was mechanical piece of equipment called an Automatic Load Transfer (ALT) device (this device automatically re-routes power when needed to reduce the duration of outages, for example during storms). The flash of light was not an explosion, rather arcing wires as they fell. This highlights why it’s very important to stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines, as they may still be energized.

“The pole was replaced and repairs made last night/early morning. A new ALT will be re-installed in one to two weeks. The majority of the outages in Beacon was due to this fallen pole. Upon their arrival, crews first manually re-routed power to restore service to most of households as quickly as possible, and then went to work to replace the pole.”

According to the Beacon Police Department, the storm went from west to east in Beacon, with residents feeling the effects over on Red School House Road. The Beacon Police Department does have a generator that can kick in when the power goes out. They noted that power went out down 9D and Verplanck, Beekman, and possibly down to Matteawan (near the Beacon High School track).

Serious Comedy Theatre performers in the Old Beacon High School on the corner of Fishkill Avenue and Verplanck wrote in to say that their building did have power, but that their home near the mountain had lost power overnight.

This is a developing story. Updates will be made to this article, or a new article depending.

Stay safe!