Fire at Glen Cove home cuts power to high school

A blown transformer at a Milford Lane home cut power to nearby Glen Cove High School Thursday morning, but classes continued after the school's backup generator was activated, according to a spokeswoman for the district.

"They didn't have to evacuate and they had a full day of instruction," said Karina Stabile of Syntax Communication, which handles public relations for the Glen Cove school district.

The first call at 9:04 a.m. reported electrical wires and a transformer were down and burning the backyard fence of the Milford Lane home, said Glen Cove fire chief Anthony Tripp.

The house had a 6-inch hole burned into the siding where a master bedroom radiator had experienced an electrical surge, he said. The fence fire was under control by about 10 a.m., he said.

Fire crews went to check on the Glen Cove High School campus, which abuts the Milford Lane home's backyard, and where administrators reported smelling smoke in the gym, Tripp said. The high school gym had one fan motor burned out as a result of the transformer's short circuit, he said.

In all, 50 firefighters from four departments responded to the scene, he said.

The Milford Lane homeowner did not return calls Thursday.