Substation fire in Blackpool cuts power to thousands of customers

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service was called at 11.10am on 7 April 2020 to a fire at an electrical substation near a retail park in South Shore, Blackpool, at the junction of Squires Gate Lane and St Annes Road. Two fire engines from South Shore and St Annes attended, with crews using breathing apparatus, a hose reel, dry powder extinguishers and a ventilation unit to tackle the fire. No injuries were reported. The fire caused a significant power outage across South Shore, with Electricity North West reporting around 14,000 customers initially without power, later reduced to around 7,208 as engineers worked to restore supply. Electricity North West attended the site to address the fault and restore power to affected properties and businesses.

1. Substation fires can cause widespread and immediate loss of power to thousands of customers even without any injuries occurring.
2. Coordinated response between fire services and network operators is essential to safely isolate faults and begin restoration promptly.
3. Clear public communication of outage numbers and restoration progress helps manage customer expectations during unplanned grid infrastructure failures.

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