Energy Incident Register
Register / Grid infrastructure / EIR-1669
← Back to the list
Grid infrastructureUnited StatesEIR-1669

Substation pole fire causes citywide outage in Wadsworth

Oct 2025Published 30 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantElectricalProvisional
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersLow confidence
supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenFailed part hidden

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

What happened

A substation pole carrying a FirstEnergy transmission line, near the point where Wadsworth, Ohio, receives its electrical supply, caught fire at about 2 p.m. on 27 October 2025. Police said the fire was believed to have caused a citywide power outage. City officials estimated that power should be restored around midnight. By just after 10:30 p.m., a new utility pole was in place and FirstEnergy crews were framing it before coordinating with city substation crews to re-energise the line and restore circuits while managing load.

The outage initially affected the city's phone systems, and most traffic signals were not functioning. Police later said 911 and non-emergency lines were back in service.

Contributing factors

The cause of the pole fire was not reported. Police said the fire was believed to have caused the outage, and that the issue was not caused by the City of Wadsworth's electric system.

Lessons learned

  1. Maintain clear protocols for coordination between transmission operators and local distribution crews during restoration after equipment failure.
  2. Ensure backup communications for emergency services when primary systems are affected by power loss.
  3. Provide public guidance on treating non-functioning traffic signals as four-way stops and preserving food during extended outages.

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

Source

fox8.com

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

Published 2026-09-30. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

See the register's stories first in Google: add it as a preferred source.

Chart to reuse with this story: Grid infrastructure incidents in the United States, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

Grid infrastructure incidents in the United States: 456 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Substation and transformer fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one.

Browse the full register or submit an incident.