SOUTH FORSYTH — School buses and traffic in south Forsyth were delayed for the second day in a row when a pole holding a transformer caught fire before the morning commute Tuesday.
Old Atlanta Road was shut down from Windermere Parkway to James Burgess Road for about four hours, slowing traffic to a crawl entering Sharon Elementary and Lambert High schools.
According to Robin Regan, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the pole connected to the transformer reignited several times, though he said he had not heard of further damage to surrounding structures.
The incident occurred across the street from the 80-home Chartwell subdivision.
Windermere and Mathis Airport parkways and James Burgess and Nichols roads remained open throughout the incident, but commute times were “greatly affected.”
Three subdivisions zoned for Sharon were impacted, and other schools in the area also saw delays, according to Jennifer Caracciolo, spokeswoman for Forsyth County Schools.
Johns Creek Elementary is farther south on Old Atlanta, while South Forsyth Middle is just north of Sharon and Lambert.
Several others, including Big Creek and Brookwood elementary schools, are situated to the west on Peachtree Parkway (Hwy. 141).
After Old Atlanta reopened to motorists, electric crews remained on scene to repair the damaged transformer.
Sawnee EMC’s Mary Shook said the electric company assisted Pike Electric Inc. in repairs and monitoring the scene.
On Monday, South Forsyth High School — among others in the area — experienced delayed release times and heavy traffic as the result of a two-vehicle crash involving a motorcycle on Ronald Reagan Boulevard at Hwy. 141.