High voltage transformer catches fire at Manali substation

What happened

Early on Sunday morning, a fault occurred in a high-voltage transformer at the Manali 400/230 kV substation, which supplies power to the city. Maintenance staff switched on the transformer's safety devices and isolated it from the distribution system. Heat from the fault started a small fire. Fire and rescue services helped bring it under control and stop it spreading to other equipment. A larger fire was reported to have been averted. No injuries were reported.

Contributing factors

The source reports a fault in the high-voltage transformer. Heat from that fault started a small fire. The underlying cause of the fault was not reported.

Lessons learned

1. After a fault on high-voltage equipment, isolate the affected plant promptly using the installed protection.
2. Treat residual heat as a fire risk even after isolation, and keep adjacent equipment under watch.
3. Call the fire and rescue service early so a small fire does not spread to neighbouring plant.

Source

The Hindu (thehindu.com)