Substation fire on George Richards Way in Altrincham

What happened

A fire broke out at an electricity substation on George Richards Way in Broadheath, Altrincham, on the morning of 8 September 2021. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said three appliances attended, and the fire was thought to have started shortly after 9am. A large plume of black smoke was visible over the site, which backs on to Craven Road. Local residents reported a brief power cut and a loud bang.

The fire service brought the fire under control by around 10am. Engineers from Electricity North West then carried out work that may cause a loss of power to some properties. Several roads were closed, including parts of George Richards Way and Craven Road, and police also attended the scene.

Contributing factors

The source does not state the cause of the fire, the equipment involved or the extent of any damage.

Lessons learned

1. Substation fires can produce a large visible smoke plume and brief supply interruptions, so operators should have ready notification arrangements for neighbouring businesses and residents.
2. Emergency responders need prompt isolation and site information from the network operator on arrival to bring a fire under control quickly.
3. Post-incident investigations should record the ignition point and failed equipment so that causes can be shared across the sector.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, electrical protection and isolation, investigation and fleet-wide checks, from every incident on the register.

Source

altrincham.todaynews.co.uk