Hundreds without power as firefighters tackle latest substation blaze weeks after Heathrow outage

11 May 2025, 08:04 | Updated: 11 May 2025, 10:39

Hundreds of homes are without power after a fire at an electrical substation in the centre of Exeter.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service was called to the scene off Fore Street shortly after 6am on Sunday.

Crews are working to bring the fire under control and protect nearby properties, officials said. Some residents have been evacuated.

In a post on X, the fire service said the blaze is “causing lots of smoke in the area”. It added: “Please keep your windows and doors closed if you live in the area."

Six fire engines have been sent to the incident, along with a command support unit from Honiton.

National Grid is aware of the fire at the electrical substation and said their "engineers are working to get the power returned as quickly as possible".

A statement added: "We'd like to thank the local community for bearing with us as our teams work to restore supplies as quickly and safely as possible to around 400 customers still affected.”

The provider said the outage was caused by “third party damage” to its network, with power expected to be restored to all properties by 12pm.

Riverside Leisure Centre is being used as a respite centre for displaced residents.

News of the latest substation fire comes just two months after a major fire at a substation in West London cut off electricity to Heathrow Airport, sparking travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

The cause of the fire that triggered the total shutdown of Heathrow airport in March remains unknown, an investigation found this week.

Heathrow had "no choice but to close" for 16 hours following the outage, leading to the cancellation of 1,000 flights to and from the transport hub.

The Met Police ruled out foul play in the hours that followed, with a statement released on March 25 noting officers had "found no evidence to suggest that the incident was suspicious in nature".

An investigation by National Energy System Operator (Neso) has found that power was restored to Heathrow airport's terminals seven hours before flights resumed on the day it was closed because of a substation fire.

The investigation led to a review of the design standards of substations and resilience planning for national infrastructure.

There is no suggestion there is any connection between the substation fire in March and the latest in Exeter.