Fire at American Electric Power substation near Potato Creek State Park
Apr 2018Published 25 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): American Electric Power
What happened
On 29 April 2018, a fire broke out at one of the buildings at an American Electric Power (AEP) substation on the 25000 block of Quinn Road, near Potato Creek State Park in Indiana, United States. Smoke from the fire was reported to be visible for miles. Local broadcaster ABC 57, as relayed by 95.3 MNC, reported that fire crews were waiting for an AEP worker to shut down power at the substation so that it could be made safe for firefighters.
Until power was isolated, the fire was expected to continue burning. The report does not state the cause of the fire, the extent of damage to the building or equipment, whether anyone was hurt, whether customers lost supply, or how long the site was out of service.
Contributing factors
Not reported. The source does not identify the cause of the fire. It states only that fire crews were waiting for power at the substation to be shut down so that the site could be made safe for firefighters.
Lessons learned
- Operators should agree a fast, documented procedure with fire services for isolating substation power, so firefighters can act without waiting for a site worker to arrive.
- Emergency isolation contacts and access arrangements for remote substations should be available at all hours.
- Fire detection and suppression in substation control and auxiliary buildings should be reviewed so that a fire is found and contained early.
More lessons on worker safety and safe systems of work, electrical protection and isolation, detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.
Source
Published 2026-10-25. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
