Vehicle crash sparks transformer fire and evacuation in Oceanside

What happened

At about 3:38 am on 3 January 2016, an SUV crashed into an electrical transformer at Oceanside Boulevard and Vine Street in Oceanside, California. The vehicle and the energised transformer caught fire, with the vehicle resting against a tree. Fire crews used a defensive strategy to stop the fire spreading to a nearby multi-level senior apartment building, and about 40 residents were evacuated. An additional crew was placed on the roof to guard against embers.

The fire was extinguished within two minutes of the first units arriving. San Diego Gas & Electric isolated the transformer, which the source reports as 12,000 KV, and 136 customers lost power. County hazardous materials teams worked with the utility to contain and remove about 50 gallons of flammable transformer oil. The fire service reported that no water runoff entered a storm drain. No injuries were reported. The driver fled the scene and police investigation continued. Total damage had yet to be determined because of underground damage to the transformer and vault.

Contributing factors

A vehicle crashed into the transformer. The source does not state why the crash happened. Underground damage to the transformer grid and vault complicated the assessment of damage.

Lessons learned

1. Where practical, protect street-level and pad-mounted transformers from vehicle impact with barriers or bollards, and review sites at junctions where crashes are more likely.
2. When energised equipment is involved in a fire near occupied buildings, plan early for evacuation and for protecting roofs and facades from embers.
3. Coordinate utility isolation, hazardous material oil containment and storm drain protection in a single incident plan with the fire service.

More lessons on spacing, layout and fire spread, emergency response and public communication, weather and external hazards, from every incident on the register.

Source

10news.com