Copper theft causes fire at Upshur Rural Electric substation near Gilmer, Texas

What happened

A fire broke out at the Glenwood substation of Upshur Rural Electric, about two miles south of Gilmer in Upshur County, Texas, United States. A report published on 1 September 2021 said it began early on a Wednesday morning. Thieves had cut through the fence at the back of the substation and removed about 500 feet of copper ground cable. According to the cooperative, they kept cutting until they reached one of the substation's regulators, and the equipment went up in flames when that was cut.

About 2,000 homes lost power. Several fire departments responded and put out the fire. Power was rerouted so that most customers were back on supply by mid-morning, and the substation was repaired, tested and running again by around 3 pm, using replacement regulators the cooperative had on hand. The cooperative put the damage at about 100,000 US dollars. Locks on the gates of the neighbouring Centerpoint site had also been cut. Crime Stoppers offered a reward for information, and no suspect had been named.

Contributing factors

Theft of copper ground cable. The thieves cut through the perimeter fence, removed about 500 feet of ground cable and cut into a regulator, which started the fire. An earlier report of a suspicious person on the neighbouring site was attended, but no one was found.

Lessons learned

1. Removal of earthing conductors leaves substation equipment unsafe, so perimeter intrusion detection and alarms on earthing continuity help operators respond before thieves reach live plant.
2. Holding spare regulators and other critical distribution equipment allowed this substation to be restored the same day, and spares policies should reflect theft risk.
3. Reports of suspicious people near substations or neighbouring utility sites should prompt a check of fences and gates, as cut locks on an adjacent site were found here only after the fire.

Source

kltv.com