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Grid infrastructureUnited StatesEIR-0989

Fire at AEP substation cuts power to thousands in Corpus Christi

July 2019Published 17 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantElectrical
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersLow confidence
supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hidden
Where
Rodd Field AEP substation on the south side of Corpus Christi, Texas
Operator
AEP Texas
What
A fire broke out and knocked out power to more than 14,000 customers
Response
Crews worked to extinguish the fire while AEP assessed damage
Outcome
Restoration estimate revised from 7 p.m. to midnight

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): AEP Texas

What happened

A fire broke out at the Rodd Field AEP substation on the south side of Corpus Christi, Texas, on a Wednesday afternoon. The blaze knocked out power to more than 14,000 AEP Texas customers. Crews worked to extinguish the fire while AEP assessed damage and restoration needs. Local school district campuses in the affected area were closed for the day and were set to reopen once power was restored. A city public library was also temporarily closed due to the outage, with residents directed to alternative branches. AEP initially estimated restoration by 7 p.m. but later revised this to midnight, noting the timeline could change pending further assessment of the damage.

Contributing factors

Not reported.

Lessons learned

  1. A substation fire can cut supply to more than 14,000 customers, so operators should check the speed of isolation and backup feed arrangements.
  2. Restoration estimates for substation damage can shift during assessment, so insurers should plan for revised outage times.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Cause of the fire
  • Equipment model and age
  • Exact duration of the outage
  • Cost of the damage

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

kztv10.com

Published 2026-09-17. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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