Substation fire disrupts power supply in southwest Las Vegas

Electrical power was restored in southwest Las Vegas after a fire late on 30 July 2020 at an NV Energy electrical substation. The fire affected 8,600 customers near South Decatur Boulevard and West Pyle Avenue. Power was restored to the last customers by 5.45 a.m. on 31 July. Firefighters and police were called at about 11.15 p.m. to the substation at Edmond Street and West Pyle Avenue, near South Decatur and West Silverado Ranch boulevards. Police evacuated an unspecified number of houses. No injuries were reported, and the source gave no details of damage to the substation.

NV Energy said the fire was caused by a transformer failure at the substation. No further technical detail was reported.

1. A single transformer failure at a distribution substation can cut supply to thousands of customers until crews can restore power safely.
2. Outage messages should say what is known, including that restoration may take longer for some customers.
3. Emergency services and the operator need a shared plan for nearby evacuations when a substation fire is close to houses.

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