Transformer fire outside WAPA substation cuts power to St. John island
EIR-1167Provisional entry. Published from first reports. This entry is rechecked automatically and updated when more sources appear. Next update: 22 September 2026.
A power transformer located immediately outside a WAPA electrical substation on St. John caught fire on the Wednesday evening, leaving the island without electrical service. Smoke from the fire entered the substation, though WAPA reported no equipment damage that would have prevented restoration. Crews worked through the following day to clean soot and residue from electrical equipment and prepare the substation for re-energisation. By around 6pm on the Thursday, procedures were under way to re-energise the submarine cables supplying power from St. Thomas to St. John, and the island's two feeders, 7E and 9E, were restored, returning service to customers about 24 hours after the fire.
The cause of the transformer fire was not stated in the source. The outage arose from a fire at equipment immediately outside the substation, with smoke ingress requiring inspection and cleaning of substation equipment before it could be safely re-energised.
- Fire or smoke ingress near substation equipment requires thorough inspection and cleaning before re-energisation, even when direct damage appears limited.
- Island and radially supplied networks that depend on a single supply route, such as submarine cables, benefit from pre-planned restoration procedures to shorten downtime.
- Regular public updates on restoration progress help manage community impact during outages lasting a day or more.
Published 2026-09-22. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.