Grid infrastructureUnited StatesEIR-1388

Explosions and fire at Portland electrical substation

Nov 2022Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantElectricalProvisional

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From the recordFailed part

Where: Intersection of Northeast 60th Avenue and Stark Street in Portland
What: Explosions and fire at electrical substation
Injuries: None reported
Cause: Not reported

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What happened

Explosions and a fire occurred at an electrical substation at the intersection of Northeast 60th Avenue and Stark Street near Mt. Tabor in Portland. Firefighters found heavy fire in and around the substation. Electricity continued to flow and oil from a transformer fed the flames. Neighbouring buildings lost power. PGE line operators and firefighters assessed the site and used one water line and chemical suppressants to extinguish the fire. No surrounding structures were affected and no injuries were reported.

Contributing factors

Fire was fed by oil from the transformer and electricity remained live initially.

Lessons learned

Maintain clear protocols for isolating supply before firefighting electrical substations.
Coordinate early with the network operator when a representative is nearby.
Prioritise protecting nearby structures while allowing controlled burn-out if safe.

More lessons on fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Cause of the explosions and fire
Transformer model and age
Duration of the outage
Cost of repairs

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

Source

kptv.com

Site page: Portland Substation (status, dates and other incidents)

Other entries that name Portland

Transformer explosion reported near Oregon Zoo in Portland, closing Highway 26 temporarily EIR-2580 · 2026
Downed power lines fall onto vehicle, closing Highway 26 in Portland EIR-2706 · 2026
Substation fire in southeast Portland disrupts power to thousands EIR-1616 · 2022
Wind turbine destroyed by fire, later demolished in Portland, Texas EIR-1096 · 2020

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

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The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-1388 holds the site, the operator, what failed and the fire service response as fields you can filter, count and export, with its 2 sources and their verification status. The cause is not hidden: the contributing factors above give it as the sources report it. The record adds it as a field. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

Site: ••••••••••••
Operator: •••••••••
Failed part: •••••••
Fire service response: ••••••••••
Sources: ••••••••••

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