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Grid infrastructureUnited KingdomEIR-2636

Transformer fire leaves homes without power in Woodstock

Oct 2026Published 29 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorThermal / fire
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersLow confidence
supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordFailed part hidden

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks

What happened

Homes in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, lost power on the evening of 29 October 2026 after an electrical transformer caught fire on Hensington Road. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service attended and extinguished the fire. Thames Valley Police's Woodstock neighbourhood team also attended. Police said a number of properties in the surrounding area remained without electricity after the fire was put out. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) reported a power cut at 5.51pm through its Power Track service, which said around 33 customers in the OX20 postcode area were affected.

Engineers worked to reconnect supplies, and residents were warned they could be without power until midnight. Hensington Road reopened after the incident. The article does not report any injuries.

Contributing factors

The cause of the fire was not reported.

Lessons learned

  1. Transformer fires can cut supply to a small number of homes for hours, so distribution operators should keep rapid reconnection plans and temporary supply options ready.
  2. A live outage tracker that gives estimated restoration times reduces pressure on emergency lines and helps residents plan.
  3. Fire services and network operators should agree a joint on-scene plan so the fire can be isolated and supplies restored quickly.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Source

oxfordmail.co.uk

Published 2026-10-29. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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