Transformer fires leave thousands without power in Ontario

Canada, Ontario: In North York, an administrative area of Toronto, some 35,000 people were without power at the peak of the outage caused by a transformer fire at the Hydro One substation at Finch Avenue.

It took the crews 24 hours to restore power to all homes in North York after an explosive overnight fire at a transformer station which ruptured transformers that leaked oil, reports CBC.

Officials said there was no risk to public safety or environmental impact from the leaks.

Based on the utility’s assessment, two out of four transformers at the station were not affected, adds CBC.

Another transformer fire took place at a Hydro One substation in Minden Hills in Haliburton County, Ontario, knocking out power to more than 23,000 customers and forcing evacuation of nearby homes due to the excess smoke, reports Global News.

Fire crews spent hours battling the fire in the middle of a severe thunderstorm.

Source: CBC; Global News