Transformer fire at CenterPoint Addicks substation in Houston prompts shelter in place

What happened

On the morning of Friday 9 July 2021 a transformer caught fire at CenterPoint's Addicks substation in Spring Branch, north-west Houston. Houston Fire Department units arrived on Brittmoore Road at around 9:45 am and fought the fire defensively with foam, while neighbouring departments stood by. The fire was fuelled by the mineral oil used to cool the transformer. Officials issued a shelter-in-place warning for the area west of the substation to North Eldridge Parkway, and the fire department monitored air quality.

CenterPoint said the oil did not contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and was not considered a health threat. CenterPoint said there were no injuries or outages associated with the incident. The shelter-in-place warning was lifted that afternoon once the fire was controlled, and CenterPoint said it would investigate the cause.

Contributing factors

Not reported. CenterPoint said the cause was unknown and that it would investigate. The fire was fuelled by the transformer's mineral cooling oil.

Lessons learned

1. An oil-filled transformer fire can require a defensive foam attack and air-quality monitoring even when the operator says the oil is not a health threat.
2. Operators should be able to tell responders quickly whether transformer oil contains PCBs, because that information shapes public health advice.
3. Substations near homes need agreed shelter-in-place arrangements with the local fire service for large transformer fires.

Source

houstonpublicmedia.org