Fire at power substation in Kishanganj, Bihar, India

What happened

A fire broke out at the power house of a power substation at Pashchimpali in Kishanganj, Bihar, India, according to FirstBihar. Flames rose high enough to be visible 40 to 50 kilometres away, and people gathered near the site as the area was thrown into confusion. Several fire brigade teams were sent to the scene and were working to bring the blaze under control at the time of reporting. The cause of the fire had not been established, and the report did not confirm any casualties. The article was updated as further information became available.

Contributing factors

Not reported. The source states that the cause of the fire was not yet known.

Lessons learned

1. Operators of substation power houses should use thermal monitoring and early fire detection on switchgear, transformers and control cabinets so that overheating is found before it becomes a fire.
2. Substation sites should have fire response plans, clear access routes for fire brigades and isolation procedures agreed in advance with local emergency services.
3. Where a fire at an energy site is visible over a wide area, the operator should issue prompt public information to reduce confusion and to keep people away from the site.

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

Source

firstbihar.com