Lightning strikes Eskom transformer at substation in Free State, causing fire

A transformer at the Anglo Dankbaarheid Substation, located between Welkom and Virginia in the Free State, was struck by lightning on a Sunday afternoon and caught fire. Eskom stated that the transformer, known as transformer four, contained approximately 15,000 litres of transformer oil and was completely destroyed by the blaze, with an adjacent transformer also sustaining damage. The fire disrupted power supply to nearby mines. The Matjhabeng Fire Department responded shortly after 17:00 but reportedly could not extinguish the fire due to a shortage of water in the fire truck. A private fire company was subsequently called in to assist and managed to extinguish the blaze by around 19:00. Power to the affected mines was restored just after 21:00 that evening. Eskom said it was assessing the extent of the damage.

A lightning strike directly caused the transformer failure and fire. The local fire department was reportedly unable to extinguish the fire initially due to a shortage of water in the fire truck, requiring a private fire company to be called in.

1. Substations and transformers in lightning-prone regions should have robust lightning protection and surge arrestor systems to reduce the risk of direct strikes causing catastrophic failure.
2. Emergency response plans for transformer fires, which involve large volumes of flammable oil, should ensure adequate water supply and specialised firefighting resources are readily available or pre-arranged with private contractors.
3. Utilities should maintain contingency plans for rapid restoration of power to critical customers, such as mines, following equipment failures caused by extreme weather events.

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