Substation fire causes citywide power outage in Plymouth, Michigan
EIR-0834Other entries that name Plymouth
Provisional entry. Published from first reports. This entry is rechecked automatically and updated when more sources appear. Next update: 17 September 2026.
A DTE Energy substation near Farmer and Theodore streets in Plymouth, Michigan caught fire, with explosions reported, on a Wednesday night, cutting power to the entire city. About 4,000 homes and businesses lost electricity. The utility said a failure inside a transformer sent large amounts of energy into the transformer oil, which led to the explosions and fire. No injuries were reported. Power was restored to all affected customers by the Friday morning. At the time of reporting, DTE Energy had not determined the cause of the failure, and possible causes mentioned included an equipment problem or an animal, such as a squirrel, gnawing at lines.
The exact cause of the transformer failure was not confirmed at the time of reporting; DTE Energy said it may have been an equipment problem or an animal contacting the lines.
- Transformer failures can release large amounts of energy into insulating oil, creating a fire and explosion risk that can remove supply from a whole town.
- Clear public communication about restoration timelines helps manage community impact during outages lasting more than a day.
- Root cause investigation covering both wildlife intrusion and equipment condition is an important part of post-incident review at substations.
Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.