Cable fire at Vijay Chowk, Gorakhpur, during rain-related power cuts
Oct 2026Published 3 Nov 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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What happened
On 30 October 2026, rain disrupted the electricity supply in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, according to a Jagran report. Several localities, including Shahpur, Rapti Nagar, Durgabari, Surajkund, Rustampur and Rani Bagh, lost power for hours. The report links some of the outages to a punctured insulator and to a tree branch touching a high-tension line. At Vijay Chowk, a fire broke out in an electricity cable. The fire continued after the supply was cut, so the fire brigade was called and brought it under control after considerable effort.
Electricity workers had first tried to put the fire out themselves without success. The Golghar feeder was shut down because of the cable fire. Households in the affected areas faced a water shortage after the morning power cut. Staff restored supply by cutting the tree branch and replacing the insulator. The report does not give the cause of the cable fire, the number of customers affected or any injuries.
Contributing factors
Rain interrupted repair work during the outages. The report gives a punctured insulator and a tree branch touching a high-tension line as causes of outages in other areas. The cause of the cable fire is not reported.
Lessons learned
- Keep vegetation trimmed clear of high-tension lines, particularly before forecast storms.
- Inspect insulators and cable terminations before heavy rain arrives, since water ingress and damaged insulation can lead to faults.
- Plan for energised cable fires, including isolating the feeder and calling the fire service at the outset, since on-site staff may not be able to extinguish an energised cable fire.
More lessons on weather and external hazards, electrical protection and isolation, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.
Source
Other entries that name Vijay Chowk
Other entries that name Gorakhpur
Published 2026-11-03. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
