Fire at Cornwall electricity substation cuts power to hundreds of homes
EIR-0959A fire broke out at an electricity substation operated by Western Power Distribution in Bugle, near St Austell, Cornwall, on the afternoon of 20 May 2020. Fire engines from St Austell and St Dennis fire stations attended, with crews monitoring the site while awaiting the network operator. The fire, described as a high voltage incident, caused approximately 692 properties to lose power at around 4:08pm. Supply was restored to 570 properties by 4:39pm, with the remaining 122 properties expected to be reconnected by around 10pm the same evening. Photographs showed a large plume of dark smoke rising from the site. No injuries or evacuations were reported. The cause of the fire was not confirmed in the available reporting.
Not reported.
- Rapid coordination between fire services and the distribution network operator allows for quicker isolation and restoration of supply after a substation fire.
- High voltage substation incidents can affect a wide area, so operators should have clear public communication in place to manage community expectations on outage duration.
- Even brief substation fires can generate significant visible smoke, so operators and emergency services should have protocols for advising nearby residents on air quality precautions.
Published 2026-09-17. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.