Fire at Southside substation causes outage for nearly 5000 customers
July 2022Published 4 Oct 2026
Companies named in this entry: CPS Energy
What happened
A fire broke out at the CPS Energy substation at Pyron and Huff in San Antonio on 11 July 2022. The incident occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. and left 4908 customers in the Harlandale and Mission San Jose areas without power. Customers were taken offline as a safety precaution while the fire was extinguished. Power was restored by 7:03 p.m. after 48 minutes.
Contributing factors
The cause has not been fully determined. Extreme heat was ruled out. The utility's initial assessment points to equipment failure from ongoing use.
Lessons learned
- Electrical equipment failures can occur during normal operation and should be anticipated in maintenance planning.
- Safety protocols that isolate customers during substation incidents limit risk to responders and the public.
- Prompt communication from operators can reduce public concern during localised events unrelated to wider grid conditions.
Source
Published 2026-10-04. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.