Just before noon firefighters were called to attend a structure fire at a primary sub-station on Les Juqueurs Road, Vale, near the Juas Water Treatment Works.
Watch commander Alex Clark said the team of nine – two in breathing apparatus – were able to put out the fire in about 15 minutes. But the incident had caused an island-wide power outage, which included the adjacent Juas Water Treatment Plant.
Guernsey Electricity health and safety manager John Tostevin said there had been a failure in the switchgear system, which distributes electricity from the power station around the island. The company operates a network of these 11,000 volt primary sub-stations across the island.
Most areas affected experienced a brief power outage, but some areas in the north of the island were still out some 40 minutes later.
‘The cause of it is unknown at present,’ said Mr Tostevin while firefighters were still at the site.
‘Because of some reason, there’s been a failure of the asset inside this primary sub-station, and because it’s a primary it has caused quite a wide power cut. We’ve lost about a fifth of the island. Everything with us went out as well, which was a shock. Part of the north of the island is still out, but we’re working on them now.
‘The fire brigade was called because there was smoke coming out. They put the fire out and we’re just getting some extra protection for ourselves before we go in there to examine it.
'In the meantime, at the control room, we’re trying to get the rest of the island back on.’
Guernsey Electricity later confirmed that a large number of customers in Vale and St Sampson’s had lost power. Most were back on in about an hour. Work continued to restore a service to the remainder.
A spokesman thanked customers for their patience and understanding while its teams dealt with a ‘complex issue’.
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