Utility transformer explodes beside church in Ashland, Kentucky

What happened

In July 2021, on a Monday morning, the Ashland Fire Department responded to a report of a smoking transformer next to the Ashland Grace Church of the Nazarene in Ashland, Kentucky. Soon after firefighters arrived, the transformer exploded. People who saw the blast said it sounded like a bomb. The fire marshal said transformer explosions are uncommon, although the department attends power line and transformer fires regularly, often in hotter weather.

The source says the fire department and the power company respond to such incidents to turn off the electricity, but it does not report whether the supply was isolated in this case. No one was near the pole when it exploded, and the source reports no damage to the church.

Contributing factors

The fire marshal said such explosions can occur when a transformer fails, a wire is shorted, a cross occurs in the line, or the electrical system is damaged. Transformers contain mineral oil, which can overheat and ignite, spraying hot oil and flames over nearby people. The source does not state the cause of this particular failure.

Lessons learned

1. Treat any smoking transformer as dangerous and keep the public well back. The fire marshal recommends a clearance of at least 100 feet.
2. Utilities and responders should isolate and inspect a transformer promptly once smoke or overheating is reported, because the oil can ignite and explode with little warning.
3. Preventative maintenance and inspection of pole-mounted transformers reduce the likelihood of failure, though the source notes that failures still occur.

More lessons on emergency response and public communication, electrical protection and isolation, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, from every incident on the register.

Source

wsaz.com