Power returns for 1,600 in Algonquin

All of the roughly 1,600 ComEd customers without power Monday morning were plugged back in within two hours of the initial outage in Algonquin, officials said.

Downed wires from a transformer at Sandbloom and Algonquin roads Monday initially disconnected those customers, ComEd spokesman Tom Stevens said.

The outage occurred at 10:50 a.m. and affected a commercial and residential area on the east side of town, said Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Battalion Chief Joe Teson.

Rather than rerouting traffic, authorities secured the scene until ComEd arrived to make its repairs, Teson said.

Area businesses, including a Jewel-Osco store and three schools -- Algonquin Middle, Algonquin Lakes Elementary and Eastview Elementary, were among those without electricity, authorities said.

While Teson contends the transformer exploded, Stevens said he could not confirm that report.

The actual cause of the outage remains under investigation, Stevens said.

"We're still trying to figure out what caused those wires to come down," he said.