Hundreds of homes without power after substation destroyed by fire

An electrical substation in the centre of Exeter has been destroyed by fire, leaving hundreds of properties without power.

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

Around 25 people were evacuated from nearby properties as crews worked to bring the fire under control.

The service said the external electrical substation was destroyed by the blaze, while four adjacent properties were also affected by fire and heat.

The National Grid said 281 homes were without power as of 10am on Sunday morning. Power had been restored to 615 homes.

The provider said the outage was caused by “third party damage” to its network, with power not expected to be restored to all properties until 12am on Monday.

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

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.

“You may also experience some disruption to your electricity supply.”

Six fire engines were initially sent to the incident along with police and the ambulance service. Two crews remain at the scene.

The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.

The incident comes after a substation serving Heathrow Airport caught fire in March, forcing it to close to all flights for many hours and disrupting more than 270,000 air passenger journeys.

A substation fire in Maida Vale, west London, also saw around 80 people evacuated from their homes on April 29.