Transformer fire disrupts power supply in Midway

What happened

A transformer fire was reported on 23 April 2024 near 800 Murray Street in Midway, British Columbia. FortisBC said the fire started at 6:50 a.m. and initially knocked out power to about 1,000 customers from Rock Creek through to Greenwood. By late morning the utility said power had been restored to all but 340 customers. Crews from the Okanagan and Castlegar were reported to be on the way to help the Grand Forks team.

Later that afternoon FortisBC said crews were working to clear the damage and install a temporary transformer, and hoped to restore the remaining customers by midnight. The utility warned that customers might experience intermittent outages during the work.

Lessons learned

1. Deploy crews from more than one depot promptly so damage assessment and temporary equipment installation can start without waiting on a single local team.
2. Give regular public updates, including through an outage map, so customers know what is still out and what may change during repairs.
3. Coordinate with the fire service before re-energising equipment after a transformer or substation fire.

Source

castanet.net