NIPSCO workers gather near the location of a burnt-out power pole between Michigan Avenue and I-90 in East Chicago on Monday, April 17, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Travel on the South Shore Line reopened nearly 12 hours after a 110-foot transmission pole caught fire early Monday morning, but the Indiana Toll Road remained closed.
Hammond Fire Chief Jeff Smith said Monday that firefighters were called to Michigan Street and Kennedy Avenue around 2 a.m. April 17 for a NIPSCO pole on fire, with the first unit of NIPSCO workers arriving at around 6:30 a.m. to start repair work. NIPSCO announced around 8:30 a.m. via news release that the Indiana Toll Road and South Shore Line had been shut down in both directions.
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Firefighters had the fire extinguished by 10:15 a.m., NIPSCO said in a second release, and NIPSCO workers continued to assess and repair the damage.
A charred, smoking power pole stands between Michigan Avenue and I-90 in East Chicago on Monday, April 17, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
None of the commuter train power lines were affected in the fire, Smith said, but NIPSCO initially cut power to them so that any power surges that occurred during the pole’s repair wouldn’t damage them, South Shore President and General Manager Michael Noland said. NIPSCO cleared South Shore around 12:30 p.m. to run its weekend/holiday schedule to Gary Metro for the rest of Monday, with buses between the Gary Metro and Carroll Avenue stations in Michigan City.
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The toll road, however, was to remain closed “due to the extent of the repairs needed and proximity of the pole to the highway” through the later evening hours, NIPSCO said in a third release. Detours were posted.
The fire’s cause remained unclear Monday.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
NIPSCO transmission pole fire early Monday shuts Toll Road, South Shore
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