Transformer blast causes fire at grid station in Mohali

What happened

A high-intensity explosion occurred in a heavy-duty transformer at the 220 kV grid station at Majra in New Chandigarh, reported from Mohali, at about 6.15am on a Monday. Flames could be seen from five miles away. The grid station belonged to Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited. Fire officers said they received a call at 6.20am, and it took about two and a half hours to put the fire out. A fire brigade official said the main reason for the fire could be sparking. No injuries or outage figures were reported.

Contributing factors

A fire brigade official said sparking could be the main reason for the fire. The source does not confirm a cause.

Lessons learned

1. A transformer fire at a transmission grid station can be visible over a wide area and may take hours to extinguish, so response plans should cover that scale.
2. Operators should record the alarm time and the time the fire is out so response performance can be reviewed.
3. A possible cause such as sparking should not be treated as established until the failed transformer has been investigated.

Source

The Times of India (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)