Faulty sub station explodes causing power cut in Ambleside (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Faulty sub station explodes causing power cut in Ambleside

4:35pm Friday 4th January 2013 in News

AN electrical sub station was destroyed after exploding into flames in Ambleside this lunchtime, leaving some properties without power.

The blast blew the roof off the 12 metre unit as the rest of the structure caught fire.

Fire engines from Windermere and Ambleside were called to Nook Lane at 12.49pm.

A spokesman for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was caused by a faulty transformer exploding.

The unit had to be isolated by Electricity North West before firefighters extinguished the flames and damped the building down.

The spokesman said there was no danger to the public at the time but that it could have been ‘potentially’ serious had someone been walking in the area when the unit exploded.

A spokesman for Electricity North West said: “We have a high voltage fault affecting Ambleside. This fault is due to damage to our equipment.

“Our team is now on site and working to restore the supply.

“We expect to restore the supply by 10pm today. This is our best estimate at this time and may change as additional information becomes available.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this interruption.”