Substation fire in Blackpool cuts power to thousands of customers

What happened

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.

Lessons learned

1. A substation fire at a grid connection point can cut supply to thousands of customers at once, so operators should fit early fault detection on transformers and switchgear.
2. Fire crews need clear access and isolation plans for electrical substations, so operators should maintain marked entry points and remote switching.

More lessons on detection and monitoring, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Cause of the fire
• Equipment model and age
• Duration of the outage
• Cost of repairs

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Source

blackpoolgazette.co.uk