Duke Energy cuts power to apartments

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BACK UP TO CODE: Electricians worked throughout the day Tuesday to update the electrical system at Mulberry Street Apartments, 718 W. Mulberry St., so Duke Energy could safely return power to the 24 apartment units. KT photo by Erik Markov

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July 27, 2010

Company says there were ‘serious safety hazards’ with wiring in 1930s-era building

By Daniel Human Tribune business writer The Kokomo Tribune Tue Jul 27, 2010, 11:49 PM EDT

Kokomo — Duke Energy Corp. says it had to cut power Tuesday to a Kokomo apartment building that dates back to the Great Depression because of “serious safety hazards.”

Electricians worked throughout the day to update the electrical system at Mulberry Street Apartments, 718 W. Mulberry St., so the company could safely return power to the 24 apartment units.

Bill Daugherty, the apartment’s owner, said he expected the work to finish Tuesday, meaning his residents would have electricity again.

Angeline Protogere, a spokeswoman for Duke, said the company cut the power because it was worried about the outdated electrical system’s potential fire risks.

“We know this is a tremendous inconvenience,” she said Tuesday, “but it’s a serious safety hazard.”

Steve Barnett, Kokomo’s building inspector, said the apartment building had inadequate and unsafe wiring and the system did not disconnect properly.

“It was a very antiquated system for the current code,” he said. “... When you look at a structure like that, it was designed and built and wired for the electrical usage at the time.”

The increased electricity consumption from residents using window air conditioners added concern about the potential for a fire, Protogere said.

Daugherty said the apartment building, rooms for which rent for $390 to $430 per month, has not blown a fuse or had an electrical fire in the 60 years his family has owned it.

The electrical work took a while to get to because he was waiting on estimates, he said.

• Daniel Human is the Kokomo Tribune business reporter. He can be reached at 765-454-8570 or at daniel.human@kokomotribune.com.

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Duke Energy cuts power to apartments

Company says there were ‘serious safety hazards’ with wiring in 1930s-era building

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