Grid infrastructureUnited KingdomEIR-2520

Fire at Chatham electrical substation near nursery, Kent

June 2024Published 23 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorElectrical

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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): UK Power Networks

What happened

On 1 June 2024, cables at an electrical substation on Boundary Road, Chatham, Kent, caught fire shortly after 3am, according to Kent Online, which said the blaze was understood to have started at that time. Smoke was visible from the premises, which lie close to a nursery and two schools. Kent Fire and Rescue Service sent three fire engines, and crews used dry powder to extinguish the fire. Overnight the fire service advised residents to keep windows and doors closed because of the smoke.

By 8am that advice had been lifted, a further fire engine had been brought in, and staff from UK Power Networks attended to re-energise the power. The fire service said no casualties had been reported.

Contributing factors

The source reports only that cables on the site were alight. No cause of the fire was reported.

Lessons learned

Substations located close to schools and nurseries need advance smoke and community communication plans, including for residents who may not have internet access.
Operators should give the fire service early information on which circuits are live and which can be isolated, so crews can work safely around cables.
Restoring supply after a fire needs coordinated working between the fire service and the network operator, and public advice should be updated as conditions change.

More lessons on emergency response and public communication, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Source

kentonline.co.uk

Other entries that name Chatham

Transformer explosion at Bryant Street substation in Chatham cuts power for four hours EIR-0723 · 2018

Other entries that name Kent

Rooftop solar panel fault sparks fire at Kent flats block EIR-1174 · 2023

Published 2026-10-23. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-2520 holds the site, what failed and the fire service response as fields you can filter, count and export, with its source and their verification status. The cause is not hidden: the contributing factors above give it as the sources report it. The record adds it as a field. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

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