Transformer fire at University of Hawaii at Manoa substation causes $1.5 million damage
Apr 2018Published 21 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Lower Campus Road substation, University of Hawaii at Manoa
- What
- transformer caught fire
- Injuries
- None reported
- Response
- Honolulu Fire Department responded at 6:47 p.m.
- Cause
- malfunction inside the transformer ignited the oil
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What happened
On 19 April 2018 a transformer caught fire at an electrical substation on Lower Campus Road at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The Honolulu Fire Department responded at 6:47 p.m. Thick black smoke rose over Honolulu. The department later ruled the fire accidental and said a malfunction inside the transformer ignited the oil. Damage was estimated at $1.5 million. Injuries, outages and downtime were not reported.
Contributing factors
The fire department reported that a malfunction within the transformer ignited the oil inside. No other contributing factors were reported.
Lessons learned
- A malfunction in an oil-filled transformer can ignite the oil and create a large smoke plume.
- Campus substations need clear access routes so fire crews can reach equipment fast.
More lessons on emergency response and public communication, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Turbine model and age
- Duration of any outages
- Exact downtime
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Source
Published 2026-09-21. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
