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Grid infrastructureUnited StatesEIR-1381

Fire at electrical substation affects customers in Delaware County

Dec 2022Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fireProvisional
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 hiddenFailed part hidden
Where
electrical substation on Haverford and County Line roads in Delaware County
Operator
PECO
What
fire at electrical substation
Cause
suspected transformer problem, not confirmed
Outcome
1,300 customers without power, supply restored after hours

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

What happened

Firefighters responded to a fire at an electrical substation on Haverford and County Line roads in Delaware County on the afternoon of 28 December 2022. PECO said the incident left roughly 1,300 customers without power. Hours later, a spokesperson said power had been fully restored. Investigators were still working to determine what started the fire.

Contributing factors

The cause had not been established. PECO said a problem with a transformer could be to blame.

Lessons learned

  1. A fire at a distribution substation can interrupt supply to a large number of customers even when power is restored the same day.
  2. Operators should be ready to restore supply while the cause of a substation fire is still under investigation.
  3. Public updates should keep a suspected component problem separate from a confirmed cause.

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

Not yet known

  • Exact cause of the fire
  • Transformer model and age
  • Duration of any outage beyond hours
  • Cost of damage and repairs

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

Source

fox29.com

Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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