Fire at electrical substation closes Foleshill Road in Coventry

What happened

Shortly after 1.30 p.m. on Sunday 4 August 2019, an electrical substation caught fire on Foleshill Road in Coventry. Two fire engines from Coventry station attended, and police closed the road with a cordon between Cash's Lane and Brooklyn Road. Traffic and pedestrians could not pass and were diverted along Cash's Lane, Kingfield Road and Pridmore Road. Buses heading for the city centre were held on the wrong side of the cordon.

A representative of Western Power Distribution was at the scene with the fire crews. A number of properties lost electricity. Most had supply restored, but some may not have been reconnected until 11 p.m. The published report does not state the cause, the equipment that failed, how many properties were affected, or whether anyone was injured.

Contributing factors

The published report does not state the cause of the fire.

Lessons learned

1. A fire at a roadside electrical substation can close a busy road and force diversions, so operators should keep site access and emergency contact details ready for fire and police.
2. Supply can remain off after crews are on scene, so restoration plans should include a clear estimate for customers still without power.
3. Having the network company's representative on site with fire crews helps coordinate isolation and the return of supply.

More lessons on emergency response and public communication, outages, backup supply and restoration, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Source

coventrytelegraph.net