Fire at Leicester substation cuts power to 45,000 properties
EIR-0849Provisional entry. Published from first reports. This entry is rechecked automatically and updated when more sources appear. Next update: 17 September 2026.
A fire broke out at around 10:45 GMT at a high voltage electrical substation on Ravensbridge Drive in Leicester. The blaze led to a loss of power for about 45,000 properties across parts of the city and surrounding areas including Groby, Glenfield and Birstall, affecting the LE3, LE4 and LE7 postcode areas. Businesses were evacuated and roads near the site were closed. Retailers on the A6 closed for the day, Beaumont Leys Library was evacuated, and traffic lights near Glenfield Hospital were reported out. Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said about 8,800 litres of oil had to be allowed to burn off at the site, which was later dampened down. Leicestershire Police said power had been restored and most road closures had been lifted. Injuries were not reported either way in the source.
Not reported. The source records that a large quantity of oil at the site was allowed to burn off as part of the emergency response.
- Substation fires involving oil-filled equipment can require controlled burn-off rather than immediate suppression, which prolongs the incident and the disruption around it.
- Wide-area power loss from a single substation event shows the value of network redundancy and rapid switching to alternative supply routes.
- Coordination between fire services, network operators and local authorities is essential to manage evacuations, traffic disruption and public communication during outages affecting hospitals, libraries and retail areas.
Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.