Transformer failure linked to pallet fire and outage in Windsor

What happened

On the evening of Tuesday 16 March 2021, a transformer failure in the west end of Windsor was reported to have ignited a large fire in wood pallets and debris at the corner of Crawford Avenue and Tecumseh Road West. Windsor Fire and Rescue Services responded at about 8:45 p.m. Flames and a large plume of smoke were visible from kilometres away. The fire did not affect any buildings and was out by about 9:30 p.m.

Fire officials said the fire was likely caused by the transformer failure, which also caused the outage. Enwin Utilities' outage map showed roughly 3,000 people in the South Central, South Cameron and University neighbourhoods without power from 8:45 p.m. until between 12:30 a.m. and 12:45 a.m. Injuries and a damage estimate were not reported.

Contributing factors

Fire officials said the fire was likely caused by a transformer failure. The source does not describe the failure mechanism or why pallets and debris were at the site.

Lessons learned

1. Combustible material near electrical equipment can turn an equipment failure into a large fire, so stored material around distribution equipment should be kept clear.
2. Fire reports and utility outage records should be compared early so the link between a failure and a nearby fire is not lost.
3. Power should not be treated as restored when the fire is out; restoration times need to be taken from the utility.

Source

windsorstar.com