Underground cable and transformer lead fires cut power in Varanasi
Oct 2026Published 20 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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What happened
Fires in an underground power cable and in the lead of a distribution transformer interrupted electricity supply in the Kalimahal and Chetganj areas of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, over the weekend of 17 and 18 October 2026. In Kalimahal, an underground cable caught fire at about 2 am on Saturday night. Local residents alerted the Benia substation, and electricity workers switched off the supply and attended the site. Supply was restored about two hours later, at around 4 am.
On Sunday around 12:30 pm, the Kalimahal feeder was shut down so the underground cable could be taped. Power was off for about one and a half hours. At about 2 pm on Sunday, supply from the Chetganj feeder failed after a fire in the lead of a transformer there. An official ordered the leads of other transformers to be checked as a precaution. Power cuts lasted several hours in total across the two areas, and the disruption affected decorations at Durga Puja pandals.
Contributing factors
The source does not state the cause of either fire. It does not say whether the cable or transformer lead faults were linked.
Lessons learned
- Underground cable faults can cause fires that need the feeder isolated before repair, so network operators should keep isolation and repair procedures ready for weekend and night-time call-outs.
- When a transformer lead fails, checking the leads of neighbouring transformers on the same network can reveal similar defects before they fail.
- Local residents and community reporting can be the first warning of a fire on buried cable, so operators should provide a clear and fast reporting route to the nearest substation.
More lessons on worker safety and safe systems of work, emergency response and public communication, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.
Source
Published 2026-10-20. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
