Fire breaks out at Ausgrid's Mason Park substation in Homebush, Sydney

An early-morning fire broke out at Ausgrid's Mason Park substation in Homebush, Sydney, just after 2.15am. Fire and Rescue NSW initially sent eight fire trucks and 26 firefighters to the Homebush Bay Drive facility, where a coil tower was found well alight. Because of the high-voltage equipment involved, Ausgrid said that in consultation with emergency services the fire was allowed to burn out under controlled conditions. Firefighters' access was restricted because of the critical nature of the facility, and the blaze was contained to a section of the substation. Ausgrid said there was no impact to customer electricity supply, and NSW Ambulance said no patients were transported to hospital. Fire crews were expected to remain on site throughout the day. Photographs after the fire showed significant damage to part of the substation. Ausgrid said the cause was not yet known and would be investigated once it was safe to access the site.

The cause of the fire had not been established at the time of reporting. Ausgrid said it would investigate once safe access to the site was possible.

1. Fires involving high-voltage equipment may be managed by allowing a controlled burn-out rather than immediate suppression, and that approach is best agreed with emergency services in advance.
2. Pre-planned limits on firefighter access at critical electrical sites help protect responder safety while the plant is still live.
3. Substation fires can be contained to one section without loss of customer supply, so containment arrangements and supply resilience are worth checking as part of site fire planning.

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