Two transformer fires near Everett substation cause brief outage

On the afternoon of 3 September 2020, two transformers caught fire in the area of Scenic and Grant Drive next to a Snohomish PUD substation in the Pinehurst neighbourhood of Everett, Washington. A grass fire was also reported just north of Scenic Drive on Beverly Boulevard, and the source reports downed lines burning grass at a house at Scenic and Grant. About 1,600 people were left without power just before 2pm. Everett Fire crews dealt with the grass fire and residual hot spots from the transformer fires, while PUD crews rerouted power and put out the transformers using dry-chemical extinguishers and fire retardant. By 4.15pm only 39 customers remained without power, with crews still working. The utility said it was looking into what caused the equipment to fail.

The cause of the equipment failure was under investigation by the utility at the time of reporting. Downed lines and grass fires in the immediate area added to the response demands.

1. Rapid isolation and rerouting of power around a failed distribution asset can limit the scale and duration of customer outages.
2. Close coordination between fire services and utility line crews is important when transformer fires create secondary hazards such as grass fires and downed conductors.
3. Investigating the cause of equipment failure after such events supports prevention of recurrence at similar sites.

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