Substation fire reported to have cut power to more than 9,000 Grant PUD customers

What happened

On 25 October 2023, Grant PUD reported a widespread outage affecting 9,303 customers in East Quincy, Winchester, Central Ephrata, Columbia Ridge, North Ephrata and Soap Lake, including schools, businesses and homes. The utility said there were reports of a fire at the Soap Lake substation, believed to be linked to the loss of supply, and that several pole fires had further contributed to the outages. The exact cause of the substation fire was not known. Crews were on site, and power had been restored to nearly all customers by 2:48 p.m.

Contributing factors

The exact cause of the Soap Lake substation fire was not reported. Several pole fires were reported to have compounded the outages.

Lessons learned

1. A fire at one substation can interrupt supply across several areas, so operators should be ready to isolate the site and restore neighbouring feeders.
2. Related pole or line fires can extend an outage, so restoration crews should check for further damage while supply is being returned.
3. Early figures on who is off supply, a clear restoration update, and a warning to stay clear of downed lines help customers while the cause is still unknown.

Source

yoursourceone.com