A woman was trapped in an elevator for about half an hour when a transformer near the food court at the Rockingham Mall malfunctioned, causing electrical glitches. The woman, who left immediately after being rescued and was not identified, was not injured, said Salem Fire Marshal Jeffrey Emanuelson.

The mall was evacuated just after 5 p.m on Monday, Sept. 8, when Salem fire responded to the mall’s fire alarm. When firefighters arrived, there was a strong electrical odor in the Food Court area, accompanied by light smoke and flashing lights.

After the evacuation began, firefighters went to work with National Grid and the mall’s electrician to find the source of the problem.

The three-phase transformer responsible was on the west side of the mall, just outside the food court entrance.

“In high-demand electrical users, it’s the most efficient way to provide electricity,” said Emanuelson.

Emanuelson said the problem started because something happened that caused the transformer to get less power, and it was running on about two-thirds of the power it should have been getting. A motor helping to run the electricity burned out, and Emanuelson said it’s not clear whether the motor burning out caused the transformer to malfunction, or vice versa.

Power was lost in the food court and other stores on the second floor of the mall. About 25 percent of the mall’s second level was without power when customers were allowed back into the mall at around 7:30 p.m., Emanuelson said. National Grid and electricians were working on fixing the transformer immediately after the incident.

“It appears that everything is back to normal this morning. They were working on it all through the night,” said Emanuelson on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Mall security and management aided in evacuating the mall quickly. Salem police also helped with the evacuation and kept traffic flowing out of the mall afterwards.

“All the agencies worked well together, between police, fire, mall management and security, and National Grid to minimize the impact to the mall business and to bring it to a successful conclusion with no injuries,” Emanuelson said.