Lightning reported to have set fire at temporary pyramid substation next to Rooiwal Power Station

What happened

In the early hours of a Wednesday morning, a fire broke out at the temporary pyramid substation built next to Rooiwal Power Station in Pretoria, South Africa. A city utilities official said the fire followed lightning during unprecedented storms in the northern part of the city, burning a transformer and a container before spreading into the high-tension yard. The fire was contained. Technicians were still investigating and assessing the full scale of the damage.

Contributing factors

A temporary investigation attributed the fire to lightning during storms. The full assessment had not been completed when the report was published.

Lessons learned

1. Treat lightning during storms as a credible ignition path at temporary substations, and keep protection in service while the asset is in use.
2. A transformer or container fire can spread into the high-tension yard, so separation and containment should be reviewed before fire reaches adjacent equipment.
3. After a storm-related substation fire, finish and share the damage assessment before treating the cause and the extent of loss as settled.

Source

transformer-magazine.com