Residents of a block in Pottstown woke up to a scary situation on early Wednesday morning after PECO wires sparked due to extremely low temperatures.
A video posted to Facebook by Shainia Lloyd showed wires along King Street in Pottstown shooting off sparks that also caused a popping noise.
The incident occurred at around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, and caused nearby residents to lose power, water and heat for several hours.
“With this upcoming winter storm, hopefully they fixed and replaced the issue, because what are we going to do at that point,” Lloyd told NBC10. “And if we get as much as they’re saying we’re going to get, where are we going to go?”
A PECO spokesperson confirmed to NBC10 that wires sparked due to equipment issues as a result of the cold weather and increased usage.
“The cause was due to extremely low temperatures and increased usage, which caused the equipment in this specific situation to exceed its limits,” the spokesperson said. “While we do assess capacity needs on a regular basis, this can occur when extreme temperatures occur in localized areas.”
The service has since been restored to residents in the area. NBC10 will have more on this during the 11 p.m. show on Wednesday night, and more updates will be placed here as well when they come in.
