Radcliffe Asda evacuated after substation fire cuts power to about 1,500 people

What happened

A fire broke out at an electrical substation near the Asda store on Pilkington Way, Radcliffe, on the evening of 20 February 2018, according to The Bury Times, which reported it on 21 February. Fire crews from Whitefield, Broughton and Agecroft attended for around four hours, working with Electricity North West to bring the blaze under control. The Asda store was evacuated. The incident left 1,504 people without power, with Wallwork Street, Robertson Street, Bolton Street and the canal side among the main areas affected.

Electricity North West said 1,309 customers had their power restored within three minutes, and the last home was back on line by 9.40pm. The store lost grid supply and ran on its own generator until Electricity North West completed repairs the following day. An Asda spokesperson said the store was trading as normal after the incident.

Contributing factors

The source does not state the cause of the fire.

Lessons learned

1. Substation fires can cut supply to a wide area, so sites with critical loads should hold tested standby generation with enough fuel and a reliable changeover arrangement.
2. Emergency services and the network operator should coordinate early so that the fire is contained and supply can be isolated and restored safely.
3. Restoring most affected customers within minutes, as reported here, shows the value of rapid switching arrangements, and operators should confirm that such arrangements work during real events.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Source

burytimes.co.uk