Ludhiana, June 30 -- Hundreds of residents of Grewal Colony remained without electricity for nearly 17 hours after a distribution transformer caught fire late Sunday night, disrupting both power and water supply in the locality.

The blaze, triggered by an oil leak, extensively damaged cables connected to the transformer, leaving the area without electricity from around 10.50 pm on Sunday until nearly 4.20 pm on Monday, even as temperatures remained high.

The transformer, installed on Street No. 4 of Grewal Colony, caught fire after residents noticed smoke billowing from the unit. Within minutes, flames engulfed the connected cables, plunging the locality into darkness.

Residents alleged the transformer had been leaking oil for several ...