Repeat substation fire causes chaos in London
A second substation fire in under two weeks cuts power to homes and disrupts London Tube lines, raising concerns over repeated infrastructure incidents.
Image for illustrative purposes
UK, London: A second fire in less than two weeks at an electricity substation in Lisson Grove, London, has caused widespread disruption, cutting power to homes and halting parts of the Underground and Overground networks.
The blaze broke out at 2:11 p.m. on 12 May in Cunningham Place and Aberdeen Place, affecting the Bakerloo, Waterloo & City, Suffragette, and Weaver lines. Major stations, including Marble Arch, Tottenham Court Road, and Covent Garden, were temporarily closed. Power to local homes was also interrupted.
Resident Shirin Valipour said: “How can the same place catch fire twice? This is scary.”
The fire destroyed high-voltage cabling, causing oil leakage into Regent’s Canal, which was the second such spill in two weeks, forcing another two-day waterway closure.
At least 80 residents were evacuated in the 29 April fire. The London Fire Brigade said the latest blaze was likely accidental, and the National Grid stated the fault was resolved within seconds.
Still, a string of recent substation fires, in Exeter, Liverpool, and Heathrow, is prompting speculation about potential systemic issues.
UK Power Networks cited an equipment fault as the cause of the second “unplanned power cut.” Crews from Paddington and Harrow put the fire ubder control by 5:45 p.m. No injuries were reported.
Source: Camden New Journal
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