Fire at an electrical substation on West Granton Road cuts power in Edinburgh
Sept 2024Published 29 Sept 2026
What happened
On 23 September 2024, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service found an electrical substation on fire on West Granton Road in Edinburgh at about 5.15pm. Smoke was visible for miles. No injuries were reported. Homes near Waterfront Avenue lost electricity, and some were without supply for nearly 12 hours. Police later said two youths had been charged in connection with the fire and that a report would go to the relevant authority. The source does not state how the fire started.
Contributing factors
The cause has not been established in the published report. A police charge is not a finding of how the fire began.
Lessons learned
- A fire at a local substation can leave nearby homes without power for many hours even when nobody is injured.
- Operators should plan for a lengthy restoration after an external fire at distribution equipment.
- A police charge should not be treated as a confirmed technical cause until the inquiry is complete.
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Published 2026-09-29. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.