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Grid infrastructureUnited KingdomEIR-1140

Substation fire in North Staffordshire cuts power to over 120 properties

Feb 2020Published 21 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorThermal / fire
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hidden
Where
Western Power substation on Longbridge Hayes Road near Longport, North Staffordshire
Operator
Western Power
What
fire broke out and cut power to over 120 properties
Response
five fire crews attended with aerial ladder platform for three hours
Outcome
power restored to all properties and road reopened

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

What happened

In the early hours of the morning, a fire broke out at a Western Power substation on Longbridge Hayes Road near Longport, North Staffordshire. Five fire crews from Sandyford, Newcastle, Hanley and Burslem attended, using an aerial ladder platform to remove materials from the roof of the substation and dampen down the area. The fire was extinguished using two main jets, with crews leaving the scene around three hours after being called.

The road was closed for several hours while the fire service dealt with the blaze but has since reopened. More than 120 nearby properties lost electricity supply as a result of the fire, though power is understood to have been restored to them all afterwards.

Contributing factors

Not reported.

Lessons learned

  1. A substation fire at roof level needs an aerial ladder platform for safe access and damping down.
  2. A substation fire can cut supply to over 120 properties even when contained in three hours.
  3. Substation fires require road closures near the site for several hours during response.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, emergency response and public communication, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Cause of the fire
  • Substation equipment model and age
  • Duration of power outage for each property
  • Cost of damage and repairs

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

Source

stokesentinel.co.uk

Published 2026-09-21. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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