Temporary mobile substation catches fire during hook-up in Eastover, North Carolina
Feb 2018Published 6 Oct 2026
Companies named in this entry: Duke Energy
What happened
A temporary, truck-mounted substation caught fire at about 7.30 am on Thursday 15 February 2018 on Beard Road in Eastover, North Carolina, United States. Duke Energy was preparing to carry out work on the permanent substation on Beard Road and had brought in the mobile unit. Duke Energy officials told ABC11 the temporary station caught fire while it was being hooked up, and that no Duke Energy staff were at the site when the fire started.
A witness told ABC11 they saw the fire at around 8.30 am. Fire crews were reported to be fighting the blaze. About 2,600 customers lost power, including several elementary schools, according to Duke Energy's website. Duke Energy restored supply by bringing the permanent substation back online. The source did not state the cause, whether anyone was injured, or how long the fire lasted.
Contributing factors
The fire started while the temporary substation was being hooked up ahead of planned work on the permanent substation. The cause was not reported. The source also states that no Duke Energy staff were at the site when the fire started, without explaining that point.
Lessons learned
- Connection of a temporary substation should be treated as a live switching risk, not a routine delivery, because the unit can fail during hook-up.
- Keeping the permanent supply available can allow customers to be restored if the temporary unit fails, as happened here.
- Plans for temporary connections should say who is present and how a fault is reported, because an unattended site delays detection.
Source
Published 2026-10-06. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.