An electrical fire and subsequent explosion atop a transmission pole in Bremerton left roughly 2,000 Puget Sound Energy customers in east and downtown Bremerton without power April 25.

Video captured by a Tesla driver at the corner of 13th Street and Warren Avenue shows the pole smoking and rapidly catching fire. The traffic lights then go black just as a sudden flash and explosion shakes nearby power lines and sends debris flying.

Richmond Dhaenens, a nearby resident at the Olympic College dorms, said the explosion was a shocking experience. “I got nervous about what was going on, all the traffic lights going out and losing power on my end.”

Most customers have seen their power restored as of 11 a.m. today. Crews are continuing work to restore power for 500 PSE customers in Bremerton with hopes of restoring all service by 3 p.m.

PSE spokesman Gerald Tracy said crews need to replace the entire transmission pole and its equipment. “Crews initially believed they would be able to replace the pole by early Friday morning after starting work in the overnight hours,” he said. “However, due to safety reasons, they had to wait until daylight to restart the work.”

Students need to be aware that the Bremerton campus of Olympic College and Bremerton High School are closed.

The Bremerton School District reported all other schools would be starting two hours late. The West Sound Technical Skills Center, however, is able to operate on its regular schedule.