Explosion at Glen Marais substation leaves areas of Kempton Park without power
June 2019Published 17 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Glen Marais substation, Kempton Park
- What
- Explosion reported, power out from 4 am
- Cause
- Not reported
- Outcome
- Smoke too thick for entry by 10 am
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What happened
An explosion was reported at a substation in Glen Marais. Large parts of Kempton Park were without power from 4 am on Saturday. Just before 10 am, smoke inside the substation was still too thick for technicians to enter and assess the damage. Areas reported without electricity included Van Riebeeck Park, Norkem Park, parts of Birchleigh, Glen Marais, Aston Manor, Nimrod Park, Kempton Park extensions 2 and 3, and parts of Bredell and Pomona.
Technicians were reported to be planning to try to restore power to Van Riebeeck Park, Birchleigh and Norkem Park first once they could get inside. The cause, the extent of damage, and whether power was later restored were not reported.
Contributing factors
The cause was not reported. Technicians had not entered the substation by just before 10 am because of smoke, so the damage had not been established.
Lessons learned
- Smoke after a substation explosion can block entry, so restoration plans must allow for delayed internal inspection.
- When access is delayed, operators should prepare to restore supply to priority areas from outside the building.
- Public updates should list areas still without power and the order of planned restoration without naming an unconfirmed cause.
More lessons on emergency response and public communication, outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Cause of the explosion
- Extent of the damage
- Time when power was restored
- Substation equipment affected
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name Kempton
Published 2026-09-17. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
