Explosion and fire at Sayreville substation injures contractor during repairs
May 2024Published 29 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): JCP&L
What happened
On 24 May 2024, a JCP&L substation along Main Street in Sayreville, New Jersey, caught fire while repairs were under way, and witnesses reported an explosion. Officials said a contractor doing the work suffered burns to the hands and was taken for treatment. JCP&L said about 4,000 people were without power at the peak, with about 1,800 still off on Friday evening and restoration expected overnight or into Saturday morning.
A later update said power had been restored for hundreds of customers. The borough administrator said a temporary substation had been brought to the site the day before to address rolling brownouts. Businesses lost power, and intersections including Washington Road at Jernee Mill were affected, with traffic backups.
Contributing factors
The fire is reported to have started while repairs were being made and a temporary substation was being installed. The source does not state the technical cause.
Lessons learned
- Agree isolation, permits and emergency arrangements before maintenance or temporary equipment is installed at a substation.
- Tell customers early how long an outage may last, and have temporary supply options ready if restoration may run overnight.
- Coordinate with local authorities on traffic, businesses and people who need water, ice or other support during a prolonged outage.
More lessons on worker safety and safe systems of work, outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.
Source
Other entries that name Sayreville
Published 2026-09-29. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
