On Thursday morning, an underground electrical fire in downtown Cleveland pushed the Cuyahoga County Justice Center to close doors temporarily, causing significant disruption to the city's routine, FOX 8 News reported. The closure was in response to a blaze following a water main break near Lakeside Avenue and West 4th Street, which triggered a transformer explosion and resulting fire.
The fire, starting at about 10:30 a.m., necessitated the intervention of the Cleveland Division of Fire and led to power outages for approximately 600 downtown customers. The courts closed at noon, and administrative Judge Brendan Sheehan wrote on Friday afternoon that they were always mindful of the community impact, expressing anticipation for a full operational status by Monday, according to a statement obtained by FOX 8 News. The fire department confirmed that West Lakeside Avenue was closed from Ontario Street to West 3rd Street. At the same time, drivers were asked to avoid the area, and no injuries were reported, according to the county.
Describing the incident, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne said, "We had a domino effect here," with a water main break that took out a transformer on Lakeside, causing a small fire but was quickly handled by the fire department, as a Cleveland19 article detailed. The electrical fire forced evacuations, including the old courthouse and the city clerk's office, and the situation caused closures and outages that lasted into the afternoon.
Tesh Patel, the owner of West 3rd Deli, recounted in a News 5 Cleveland interview his employee's experience at the time of the fire, hearing a loud noise but seeing no flames. At the same time, FirstEnergy spokesperson Hannah Catlett said that their crews quickly de-energized the area and later restored power, ensuring customer services should not be impacted by ongoing repair work. Meanwhile, News 5 Cleveland confirmed that despite the county's reports of no injuries, one worker was treated for smoke inhalation but is now doing fine, as crews are expected to continue working through the weekend to restore power and repair damage.
