Substation fire causes citywide power outage in Plymouth, Michigan
Aug 2017Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- substation near Farmer and Theodore streets in Plymouth, Michigan
- Operator
- DTE Energy
- What
- transformer fire and explosions caused citywide power outage
- Injuries
- None reported
- Cause
- Not reported
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): DTE Energy
What happened
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.
Contributing factors
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.
Lessons learned
- A transformer failure that drives energy into the oil can cause explosions and fire, so operators should inspect oil-filled units for internal faults and fit pressure relief devices.
- A substation fault can remove supply from an entire city, so operators should review backup feeds and switching plans for single-point failures.
More lessons on maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Exact cause of the transformer failure
- Transformer model and age
- Cost of repairs and lost supply
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name Plymouth
Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
