Electrical junction box fire at Hub Furniture in Portland temporarily cut power to 3,600 customers

Fire outside Fore Street building triggers shutdown of electricity to Portland’s East End

An electrical fire on the exterior of the Hub Furniture Company building in Portland briefly disrupted electric service for thousands of customers Sunday afternoon, after firefighters requested an area-wide power shutdown to safely address an active electrical hazard.

The incident unfolded just after 1 p.m. at the long-running furniture business on Fore Street, where a junction box on the brick exterior began emitting sparks and smoke and was accompanied by loud popping and blast-like sounds. Emergency crews responded to reports of an electrical fire at 1:04 p.m., and the power utility was asked to remotely cut electricity to the surrounding grid to reduce the risk to firefighters and the public while crews worked near energized equipment.

Firefighters treated the situation as an active electrical hazard and used carbon dioxide extinguishers, a standard approach where water-based suppression could create additional risk around electrical equipment.

Scope of outage and restoration

During the response, service was temporarily shut off to the eastern half of the Portland peninsula. At the height of the interruption, the utility’s outage tracker showed more than 3,600 customers without power, including parts of Munjoy Hill and the Old Port. Electricity in the affected neighborhoods was restored later in the afternoon, after the fire was extinguished and conditions allowed the grid to be re-energized.

Impact on the business and building

While the fire damaged exterior areas—singeing brick and affecting a nearby window—fire officials and the business said smoke and fire did not spread into the interior of the building. Employees and customers inside the store evacuated as the explosions and bright flashes intensified outside. No injuries were reported.

Hub Furniture representatives said the store remained without power after electricity was restored to the broader area, and that repairs and a safe reconnection could take days. The company also operates a paid parking lot adjacent to the building, which was in use at the time of the incident.

Cause under investigation

Fire officials said the cause of the electrical fire had not been determined as of Sunday. Investigators typically examine factors such as equipment condition, weather exposure, and electrical loading when evaluating failures involving exterior junction boxes and transformers. Any determination generally requires coordination between fire investigators and the utility’s technical teams.

What residents and businesses typically experience during electrical fire responses

• Temporary power shutoffs are sometimes used to eliminate electrocution and re-ignition risks while crews operate close to energized infrastructure.

• Restoration can occur in stages: first to the surrounding neighborhood, then to the specific building once equipment is inspected and considered safe to re-energize.

• In incidents involving exterior electrical equipment, fire suppression may rely on agents suitable for energized systems until power is confirmed off.

The incident underscores how a localized failure in exterior electrical equipment can lead to broader disruptions when emergency response requires shutting down portions of the grid to protect public safety.