Transformer fire at Oakland substation causes major outage

What happened

A fire broke out at a Pacific Gas and Electric utility substation in Oakland, California, when a transformer at the yard at 50th Avenue and Coliseum Way burst into flames shortly before 1 p.m. on 19 February 2023. The outage initially affected about 54,000 households from the Bay coast to the Oakland hills and shut down Oakland International Airport, where flights resumed after nearly two hours. About 45,000 households were back online by 9 p.m.

At least 8,500 people were still without power into the early hours of 20 February, and some were told restoration could take longer. Fire crews had put the fire out by 4 p.m. The outage also left two drawbridges stuck upright and disrupted local transport for a time. No evacuations were required and there was no hazardous materials concern. The cause was not reported.

Contributing factors

The cause of the transformer fire was not reported.

Lessons learned

1. A single substation transformer fire can interrupt power to tens of thousands of households and to critical services such as an airport and drawbridges.
2. Early restoration estimates may need to be revised once equipment is assessed, so public updates should say what is still uncertain.
3. The cause should not be assumed, including any link to attacks elsewhere, until the equipment has been examined.

Source

upi.com