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Grid infrastructureUnited States2025

Contractor killed, two injured near Duke Energy substation in Pinellas County, Florida

EIR-0926

Provisional entry. Published from first reports. This entry is rechecked automatically and updated when more sources appear. Next update: 18 September 2026.

One person was killed and two others were injured while working close to an electrical substation in Seminole, Pinellas County, Florida, on 12 August 2025. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said the incident happened on the Tuesday afternoon in the 8600 block of Park Boulevard. A worker at a nearby business described hearing a loud noise that sounded like a transformer, a flicker in the power supply, and then smoke across the street. The two injured people were taken to the burn unit at Tampa General Hospital. Duke Energy said the incident involved Duke Energy contractors, that around 14,000 customers in the Park Boulevard North area were without power, and that it was investigating the incident to learn more. Power was later restored. The equipment involved and the mechanism of injury were not reported.

Not reported. Duke Energy stated it was investigating the incident to learn more.

  1. Work carried out close to energised substation equipment carries a risk of arc flash and thermal injury, and requires strict application of electrical safety procedures, isolation and approach boundaries.
  2. Where burn injuries occur, operators should review the arc-rated personal protective equipment specified for the task and confirm it was worn.
  3. Contractors should receive hazard controls, briefings and training equivalent to those required for direct employees doing comparable work on live electrical infrastructure.
  4. Early facts in fatal electrical incidents are often incomplete, so operators should await the formal investigation before drawing conclusions on cause.

Published 2026-09-16. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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