Fire erupts at Redmond electrical substation; cuts power to area
REDMOND, Wash. -- A large fire broke out at an electrical substation in Redmond Thursday afternoon, knocking out power to thousands in several Eastside neighborhoods and sending a smoke plume towering over the area.
The fire broke out just before 12:30 p.m. at the Puget Sound Energy station in the 9800 block of Willows Road. Thick flames billowed from the burning substation, fueled by 15,000 gallons of mineral oil inside the machine.
With simply dousing the electrical fire with water not an option for firefighters, the fire burned for well over an hour until a foam truck could be brought in from Sea-Tac Airport. Firefighters were able to get the fire out before 2:30.
The fire caused power outages and disruptions in several Eastside communities, including Redmond, Medina, Woodinville, Bellevue and Kirkland. Puget Sound Energy said 25,000 customers were in the dark at the height of the outage, but power had been completely restored by 3:20 p.m.
An official with the Redmond Town Center says they lost all power and evacuated everyone outside of the mall. Their power was restored about an hour later.
Witness K.C., who works nearby the fire, says they were among those who were left in the dark.
"We were working and the lights flickered a couple of times then all of a sudden the lights went out and we heard a big bang," she said. "The smoke was very wide, very black, and very high. You could see flames."
She said the smell of the fire was quite powerful.
"Some of us were getting kind of nauseated from the smoke," K.C. said. "You could definitely smell it."
Witnesses also reported a lot of fine floating debris around the fire.
"There is a lot of particulate in the air," witness David told KOMO NewsRadio. "Not enough that you're inhaling it, but there is a noticeable amount of white fluffy stuff." He likened it to insulation material.
But PSE officials said there was no environmental concern and the swirling particles were pollen, likely cottonwood fluffs.
With the power outages came massive gridlock in the areas affected as traffic lights went dark, turning every intersection into a 4-way stop. Video from Air 4 showed traffic at a standstill on several streets just after the fire broke out. Traffic had eased a bit by Thursday afternoon and video showed officers managing traffic in dark intersections.
PSE says they don't know what sparked the blaze. No one was hurt.
The fire broke out just before 12:30 p.m. at the Puget Sound Energy station in the 9800 block of Willows Road. Thick flames billowed from the burning substation, fueled by 15,000 gallons of mineral oil inside the machine.
With simply dousing the electrical fire with water not an option for firefighters, the fire burned for well over an hour until a foam truck could be brought in from Sea-Tac Airport. Firefighters were able to get the fire out before 2:30.
The fire caused power outages and disruptions in several Eastside communities, including Redmond, Medina, Woodinville, Bellevue and Kirkland. Puget Sound Energy said 25,000 customers were in the dark at the height of the outage, but power had been completely restored by 3:20 p.m.
An official with the Redmond Town Center says they lost all power and evacuated everyone outside of the mall. Their power was restored about an hour later.
Witness K.C., who works nearby the fire, says they were among those who were left in the dark.
"We were working and the lights flickered a couple of times then all of a sudden the lights went out and we heard a big bang," she said. "The smoke was very wide, very black, and very high. You could see flames."
She said the smell of the fire was quite powerful.
"Some of us were getting kind of nauseated from the smoke," K.C. said. "You could definitely smell it."
Witnesses also reported a lot of fine floating debris around the fire.
"There is a lot of particulate in the air," witness David told KOMO NewsRadio. "Not enough that you're inhaling it, but there is a noticeable amount of white fluffy stuff." He likened it to insulation material.
But PSE officials said there was no environmental concern and the swirling particles were pollen, likely cottonwood fluffs.
With the power outages came massive gridlock in the areas affected as traffic lights went dark, turning every intersection into a 4-way stop. Video from Air 4 showed traffic at a standstill on several streets just after the fire broke out. Traffic had eased a bit by Thursday afternoon and video showed officers managing traffic in dark intersections.
PSE says they don't know what sparked the blaze. No one was hurt.
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