Transformer station fire leaves about 1,000 households without power in Toronto

What happened

A fire broke out at about 12:15 a.m. on 28 July 2018 at a Hydro One transformer station near Finch Avenue and Signet Drive in North York, Toronto. When Toronto Fire crews arrived, the structure was fully engulfed. Firefighters were initially told not to use flowing water until power to the station had been shut off. Hydro One crews arrived about 50 minutes later and isolated the supply, after which water could be applied.

The site was a significant distance from hydrants, and crews at one point ran out of hose and had to improvise a water supply. Highway 400 and Finch Avenue were closed during the fire and later reopened. The transformer released oil, and a vacuum truck was used in the cleanup. By about 3:40 a.m. most of the blaze was knocked down, but crews remained on scene cooling an overheated transformer, a process that could take up to a day.

Up to 35,000 customers lost power at the peak, falling to about 1,000 by the afternoon of 28 July. Pearson International Airport was warned about possible heavy smoke.

Contributing factors

The site was a significant distance from hydrants, which complicated firefighting. Firefighters had to wait for power to be isolated before applying water. The root cause of the fire was not reported.

Lessons learned

1. Agree power isolation procedures with the utility in advance so firefighters can apply water without delay.
2. Plan a water supply for remote substations where hydrants are far away, including hose capacity and alternative sources.
3. Keep oil containment and spill response ready for transformer failures, and plan network switching to limit customer impact while equipment cools.

More lessons on worker safety and safe systems of work, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Source

ctvnews.ca