Fire at Kilmarnock sub-station prompts resident evacuations

What happened

A fire occurred at an electricity sub-station on Knockinlaw Mount in Kilmarnock on the evening of 21 November 2022. Police said officers came across the fire at about 10.40pm. Around 20 households were evacuated as a precaution, and the report said around 30 residents were taken to Onthank Primary School and local hotels amid fears over the fire's proximity to a gas supply. A safety cordon was put in place and two fire appliances attended to extinguish the blaze.

SP Energy Networks said about 950 customers lost power, almost 900 had supply restored within the hour, and the remainder were restored by the following morning. No casualties were reported. A joint investigation into the cause was ongoing.

Contributing factors

The cause was not reported. Police and the fire service said enquiries were continuing.

Lessons learned

1. A substation fire beside homes can require a precautionary evacuation and cordon before the cause is known.
2. Early restoration figures and a clear public update help operators show how far supply has been recovered.
3. Joint working by the network operator, fire service, police and council supports both the safety cordon and temporary accommodation.

Source

Daily Record (dailyrecord.co.uk)