MANILA - A power outage has hit eastern Metro Manila on Wednesday evening compounding problems for residents in the area who are continuing to bear the devastation caused by the floods of Tropical Storm “Ondoy.”

A fire involving a transformer of the National Grid Corporation (NGC) located in Dolores in Taytay, Rizal caused the power outages which affected many areas of eastern Metro Manila.

An explosion was reportedly heard 8:48 p.m. after which one of four 300MVA transformers of NGC caught fire, according to Maricris Cabalhin of the NGC's corporate communications office.

Cabalhin said that by 8:57 p.m. the subsector involved has been de-energized and isolated which effectively cut off power supply to many parts of eastern Metro Manila and Rizal province.

Firefighters took more than one and a half hours to put the fire out. They had to use a special firefighting chemical called aqueous film-forming foam since the transformer reportedly contained oil and gasoline.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, the NGC said.

Investigators however have to wait till the transformer cools down before clearing operations can be conducted and a probe can be conducted.

The Manila Electric Company's (Meralco) eastern section has been affected by the loss of power supply including areas in Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina Quezon City and parts of Rizal including Cainta, Angono, Taytay, Binangonan and Antipolo City, the company said.

While the transformer is out of service, the systems operators of the NGC and Meralco are coordinating to source the electricity supply to the affected areas from Zapote and Sucat substations.

As of posting, power has been restored in portions of Pasig, Mandaluyong, Quezon City while Pasig areas Santolan and Manggahan; Mandaluyong, Cainta, Taytay, Binangonan and Angono were reportedly still have no electricity supply.

In Barangay Sagad in Pasig City which is still knee-deep in flood, 30 families huddled in the barangay hall where they have been temporarily sheltered.

One evacuee said that the power outage would be making it more difficult especially for children who have to bear the cramped conditions without the use of an electric fan.

Vehicular traffic in some areas such as Julia Vargas Ave. and in Blue Risge reportedly became heavy after traffic lights were no longer functional due to loss of power.MANILA - A power outage has hit eastern Metro Manila on Wednesday evening compounding problems that have hit residents in the area who are continuing to bear the devastation caused by the floods of Tropical Storm “Ondoy.”

A fire involving a transformer of the National Grid Corporation (NGC) has caused power outages in many areas of eastern Metro Manila.

One of four 300MVA transformers of the NGC in Dolores in Taytay, Rizal are currently on fire, as of posting , according to Maricris Cabalhin of the NGC's corporate communications office.

Cabalhin said the fire started at around 8:48 p.m., and as of 8:57 p.m. the subsector involved has been de-energized and isolated.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, the NGC said.

The Manila Electric Company's (Meralco) eastern section has been affected, including Pasig, Taytay, Marikina, Binangonan, and Cainta, the company said.

While the transformer is out of service, the systems operators of the NGC and Meralco are coordinating to source the electricity supply to the affected areas from the Zapote and Sucat substations.

In Barangay Sagad in Pasig City which is still knee-deep in flood, 30 families huddled in the barangay hall where they have been temporarily sheltered.

One evacuee said that the power outage would be making it more difficult as well dangerous for children who have to bear the conditions without the use of an electric fan. The evacuee warned of children getting dengue.

Vehicular traffic in many areas reportedly became heavy in many areas after traffic lights were no longer functional. With a report from Jenny Reyes, ABS-CBN News