Substation fire leaves more than 1,600 Salford properties without power
Dec 2020Published 23 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Electricity North West
What happened
A fire broke out at an electrical substation off Bury New Road in Broughton, Salford, at about 4.45pm on 29 December 2020. More than 1,600 properties lost power. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service sent fire engines from Broughton and Agecroft, and firefighters used a jet, breathing apparatus, a hose reel and a thermal imaging camera. The fire was extinguished, and at the time of reporting all but 163 properties had had power reconnected.
Reconnection of the remaining properties was reported to be held up because an oil drum at risk of overheating was understood to have been found close to the blaze, and because the road would have to be dug up to restore the supply. Bury New Road was expected to remain closed overnight. Police were understood to be carrying out door-to-door checks on the remaining premises. Residents were evacuated during the incident and later allowed back. Electricity North West said the remaining properties were likely to be reconnected by 4am. The cause of the fire has not been reported.
Contributing factors
No cause of the fire has been reported. It was understood that an oil drum at risk of overheating had been found close to the blaze, but its role in the incident is not confirmed. Reconnection could not begin until the drum was judged safe, and the road would need excavation to restore the supply. Temperatures were forecast to fall below zero that night.
Lessons learned
- Keep combustible materials such as oil drums away from substation compounds, and check for them during site inspections.
- Agree with the fire service how a nearby hazard will be made safe before engineers can reconnect supply, so restoration timelines can be set realistically.
- Where a long outage is likely in cold weather, carry out welfare checks on the affected households early and publish clear reconnection expectations.
More lessons on maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, fire suppression and firefighting, weather and external hazards, from every incident on the register.
Published 2026-10-23. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
