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Hydro Facility Erupts in Flames  

Toronto, Ontario - A four alarm fire at the huge Hydro One facility at 65 Kelfield Street, alongside Highway 401. A large transformer exploded into flames after overheating and the oil-cooled structure was soon fully involved. As west-end companies arrived, wind-whipped flames soon engulfed a second unit and a large column of black smoke rose into the air and over the adjacent highway. With the possibility of PCBs in the oil and electrical hazards everywhere, most of the attack was made using unmanned monitors. It took some time to isolate the power and set up the relays, and flames continued to roll some 30 to 50 feet above the burning transformers, threatening exposures. Using foam and master streams, TFS members managed to knock down the heavy fire in under three hours, but oil-soaked wood, much of it shielded behind metal coverings, continued to burn all night. Overhaul and fire watch lasted several days; the loss was in the millions.

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Added: Apr-29-2012 Occurred On: Apr-29-2012
By: unhwildcat
In:
Regional News
Tags: toronto, canada, ontario, hydro, facility, fire, transformer, explosion, electric, explosion, wind, firefighter, oil, smoke
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (load item map)
Marked as: approved, featured
Views: 18034 | Comments: 56 | Votes: 5 | Favorites: 4 | Shared: 50 | Updates: 0 | Times used in channels: 2
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  • Utmost respect to firefighters, this is really dangerous stuff to deal with there.

    Posted Apr-29-2012 By 

    (3)

  • ohh, this time canadian yanks!
    hehehe

    Posted Apr-30-2012 By 

    (2)

  • bad maintanance to blame ?
    a transformer has safety systems which should turn it off in case it overheats or starting to develop a too high oil-pressure inside.
    maintenance means taking it off the grid, but with a network working on its edge there is no spare for shutting down a tranformer ?
    As akways the major public demands low prices, and power companies are squenching out the last cent if it comes to being more atrractive/cheaper to you. There you can see the result. Where is the regulation More..

    Posted Apr-29-2012 By 

    (1)

    • @TamaraMJ Could be, but sometimes they just blow without warning. Winter is over and summer has not yet started - this is a very low load time of year - a ton of maintenance is being done right now. For all we know, it could have been caused by maintenance - wouldn't be the first time. It's all speculation at this point. I have worked with Ontario Hydro and they have always been safety and maintenance intensive.

      Posted Apr-29-2012 By 

      (2)

    • @Poosti Malaka ya hydro is pretty safety intense. when they came to put in the high voltage feeders for the condo tower my company is working on they watched us lock out every single board and disconnect before they even took their tools out of the truck.

      Posted Apr-29-2012 By 

      (3)

  • OLD video

    Posted Apr-30-2012 By 

    (1)

  • I'm sure they'll be able to make the necessary repairs with the $1,000 hydro bills they've been sending me every two months.

    Posted Apr-29-2012 By 

    (1)

  • Comment of user 'Surfsock' has been deleted by author!
  • Yep, PCBs in transformer oil combusting to CO, CO2, NOx,HCL and soot

    Posted Apr-29-2012 By 

    (1)

  • Let's see. 100,000 volt lines and spraying water on it.

    Posted Apr-30-2012 By 

    (1)

  • yawn...

    Posted Apr-30-2012 By 

    (0)

  • kinda ironic having a hydro facility catch fire

    Posted Apr-30-2012 By 

    (0)

  • Comment of user 'Lee Peyton' has been deleted by author!
  • For some reason, in Ontario we always shorten term "hydro-electric power" to "hydro", then refer to ALL electrical facilities as "hydro" no matter what the true source. Carefully applying water on this facility is fine, as long as it's strategic. These guys DO know what they're doing...

    Posted Apr-30-2012 By 

    (0)

  • Water and burning transformer oil?

    Posted Apr-29-2012 By 

    (0)

  • Ya it's funny, we Canadians call electricity "hydro". Americans freinds of mine will always wonder what the hell a hydro pole is. LOL or Hydro Field (the fields hydro lines er...power lines run in)

    I geuss it has to do with the fact that some of our power is generated by water (niagra falls, dams in northern quebec etc)

    Posted Apr-30-2012 By 

    (0)

    • @Crazy_Canuck It's an Ontario thing. I grew up in Toronto, but nobody knew what I was talking about when I moved to Alberta and asked about who reads the hydro meters.

      Posted Apr-30-2012 By 

      (0)

    • @Crazy_Canuck

      Hydro electric generation is by no means exclusive to Canada. Ever heard of a little thing called the Hoover Dam?

      Posted Apr-30-2012 By 

      (1)

  • That must have been a real stinker for anyone who ever smelled a burning transformer...

    Posted Apr-30-2012 By 

    (0)