THE CAUSE of a serious blaze at an Evesham substation in December ‘won’t ever’ be established as a result of the extensive damage, the network operator has said.
Western Power Distribution, the company responsible for the electricity network in the town, has told the Observer the substation on Bewdley Street was so badly burnt out that investigators haven’t been able to find the cause of the fire.
Homes and businesses were evacuated as a result of the blaze which was tackled by four fire crews for more than three hours. At one point about 3,000 homes were affected by intermittent power cuts, which also led to the town’s Tesco supermarket being evacuated.
After the flames were extinguished it left some 418 homes without power overnight. They even had to be powered by a back-up generator for about a week as Western Power engineers carried out repair works to bring the substation back online.
A spokesman for Western Power Distribution said: “Because of the extensive damage caused we haven’t been able to conclude what happened or the cause of the fire.
“It seems as if we won’t ever be able to establish the cause of the fire.
“Plans are being drawn up to replace the housing of the substation. Any decision made wouldn’t have an effect on the electricity network.”
