Three injured in major fire at Vector substation in Penrose

What happened

A fire broke out at a two-storey Vector electrical substation on McNab Street, Penrose, Auckland, on 5 November 2026. Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted at 3.24pm and sent 12 crews, three aerial appliances and three special appliances. Crews found the 20m by 40m building well alight and endangering nearby warehouses. Three people were injured: one in a serious condition, taken to Middlemore Hospital, and two in a moderate condition, taken to Auckland City Hospital.

Smoke was visible across the city, and Health New Zealand issued a public health alert. Traffic on the Southern Motorway backed up for several kilometres, and bus services were diverted. Vector said 7000 customers were initially affected by power cuts and that around 3000 had been restored through network switching by the time of its statement.

Contributing factors

A witness working nearby told 1News that lights flickered in the minutes before a loud bang, after which the power went out, followed by popping and cracking sounds as workers evacuated. The cause of the fire had not been established in the source.

Lessons learned

1. Substation fires can produce smoke over a wide area, so operators should agree early with emergency services and councils how the public will be alerted and how neighbouring sites will be protected.
2. Evacuation routes and warnings for staff must be tested, since workers may be met by dense smoke quickly.
3. Network switching can restore supply to most affected customers while an isolated site is out of service, so operators should pre-plan switching options for critical substations.

More lessons on emergency response and public communication, worker safety and safe systems of work, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Source

1news.co.nz