Transformer explosion and fire cuts power to thousands in Calgary

What happened

A utility transformer exploded and caught fire on Tuesday 28 February 2023 near Country Hills Boulevard and Country Village Landing N.E. in the northeast of Calgary, Alberta. A utility worker driving past noticed the explosion and the fire. Calgary Fire Department crews found smoke and flames coming from a utility box and extinguished the fire quickly. Power was affected for thousands of homes and for a nearby fire station. The station switched to a back-up generator and its operations were not affected.

Enmax, the utility involved, said its investigation into the cause was in progress. Its outage map showed up to 5,000 customers affected at one point, falling to about 500 later, with restoration expected by 5 p.m. that day.

Contributing factors

Not reported. Enmax said its investigation into the cause was in progress at the time of reporting.

Lessons learned

1. Abnormal equipment such as a transformer may first be noticed by passers-by, so utilities benefit from clear routes for the public and staff to report it.
2. Critical facilities such as fire stations should have tested back-up generation that can take over when a local supply fails.
3. Outage maps that update as restoration proceeds help operators give customers and emergency services accurate information.

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

Source

ctvnews.ca