An electrical substation exploded in Old Swan on Wednesday morning, sending plumes of smoke billowing across Liverpool. A nearby walk-in centre and GP surgery were evacuated after the blast
An electrical substation blew up in Old Swan on Wednesday morning, sending smoke billowing into the air that could be spotted right across the city.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service rushed to tackle a blaze at an electrical substation in the car park of Rock Court Surgery, a GP practice and walk-in centre on St Oswalds Street, at around 8.20am.
Images obtained by the ECHO show a woman fleeing from the flames. A campervan parked alongside the substation also went up in flames and was left bearing severe scorch damage. Massive plumes of smoke were visible from Green Lane and Prescot Road.
A substantial crowd assembled outside as firefighters battled the inferno. All personnel at the medical centre were evacuated while Scottish Power has been working to restore power inside the building, with road closures remaining in effect.
A fire service spokesperson said crews were alerted at 8.23am and reached the scene nine minutes later, with three fire engines initially responding, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The spokesperson added: “Crews arrived to find a substation well alight after an explosion and a fire had spread to a vehicle. Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus are still fighting the fire with two hose reel jets and requested a representative from Scottish Power to attend.
“St Oswalds Street has been closed between Edge Lane and Prescot Road. A 30-metre cordon is in place around the incident and fire crews will move to fully extinguish the fire once the sub-station is isolated.
“A nearby walk-in centre has lost power and has been evacuated. Merseyside Police is in attendance assisting with traffic management.
“A Scottish Power representative is now on scene and assessing the damage, one fire engine currently remains on scene, with a cordon still in place. Please avoid the area while the incident is ongoing.”
One woman close to the scene of the fire at the time said: “At 8.15am we heard a bang. The whole substation was on fire. There was smoke everywhere.
“It was quite scary, especially given it was so close to the cars. We thought they were going to go up in flames. A campervan was torched.
“The fire service was there in 10 minutes and the road was closed. It was put out by about 8.40am. The walk-in centre and GP surgery have been evacuated, they’re waiting for Scottish Power to get the power back on.”
A man who works close to the scene confirmed he saw the smoke rising into the air. He said: “Two fire engines were there. I believe it was some electrical units which went on fire. It wasn’t as serious as people are making out. It was attended to very quickly.”
A spokesperson for SP Energy Networks said: “Our engineers are currently attending an incident at Old Swan Health Centre substation, which has affected our electricity network.
“Our teams will remain on site, supported by colleagues from our community stakeholder team, until the issue is resolved and we will be speaking to anyone affected.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.