St John's Wood electrical substation, London, catches fire twice in two weeks
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Provisional entry. Confirmed: two fires at the same St John's Wood substation two weeks apart, the first described as an explosion/fireball, based on a single published report; not yet independently confirmed whether the two incidents share a root cause, and no further sources have emerged after two recheck passes. Next update: 12 September 2026.
The St John's Wood electrical substation, on Cunningham Place / Aberdeen Place in St John's Wood, London, operated and owned by UK Power Networks, caught fire for the second time in two weeks. Firefighters were called at 2.10pm on 12 May 2025 after fire broke out at the site. Three metres of high voltage cabling connected to the substation were destroyed. London Fire Brigade took 16 calls and advised nearby residents to keep doors and windows shut due to smoke. The fire was brought under control by 5.45pm. Two weeks earlier, on 29 April 2025, an explosion described by a nearby resident as a 'fireball' had caused a fire at the same substation at 5.30am, sending smoke into the sky. UK Power Networks said that earlier fire may have been caused by a fault on a piece of equipment. Investigators believe the cause of the 12 May fire was accidental.
UK Power Networks stated the earlier fire may have been caused by a fault on a piece of substation equipment. Investigators believe the second fire was accidental, though the exact technical cause of the repeat incident is not stated.
- Substations that experience an equipment fault fire should be thoroughly inspected and repaired before being fully reinstated, to prevent repeat failures.
- Recurrence of fire at the same asset within a short period points to the need for root cause investigation rather than temporary fixes.
- Clear public communication, such as advising residents to keep windows and doors shut, helps manage smoke related risk during electrical fires in populated areas.
Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.