Fire breaks out at electricity substation near Plaistow primary school

What happened

A fire broke out at an electricity substation adjacent to New City Primary School on Tunmarsh Lane in Plaistow, east London. Crews from Plaistow, Stratford, East Ham and Poplar fire stations responded, with more than 20 firefighters and four fire engines attending after being called at around 10pm. The blaze was brought under control approximately three hours later. The school building itself was largely unaffected, with only minor brickwork damage reported.

Dramatic images and video of the fire circulated on social media as the incident unfolded overnight. The school, run by a trust, had already broken up for the summer holidays the previous week, so teaching was not disrupted. The cause of the fire was under investigation at the time of reporting, and no injuries were mentioned in connection with the incident.

Contributing factors

Not reported. The cause of the fire was stated to be under investigation at the time of the report.

Lessons learned

1. Substation fires near schools can spread to adjacent buildings, so operators should map nearby sites and agree joint response plans.
2. A substation fire needs crews from several stations to contain it within three hours, so insurers should check local response capacity.

More lessons on spacing, layout and fire spread, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Cause of the fire
• Substation operator and owner
• Equipment model and age
• Cost of damage and downtime

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

Source

newhamrecorder.co.uk