A Burbank Water and Power (BWP) substation fire on Friday afternoon caused alarm but was quickly extinguished thanks to the efforts of the Burbank Fire Department. The incident, which took place along the 4300 block of West Olive Avenue, affected one business but fortunately did not impact any residential customers, although some customers experienced either a power surge or a small loss of power that lasted last than a second, resetting some of their electronics.
Firefighters received the emergency call from Warner Bros. security at approximately 1:38 PM and wasted no time in dispatching their crews to the scene. Seeing smoke rising from the studio’s lot from a distance, firefighters soon called for a second alarm assignment. Responding from both Burbank and Glendale, the combined forces of the fire departments quickly arrived at the power substation, which was situated adjacent to the Warner Bros. Fire Department.
Upon arrival, the BFD crews identified an electrical transformer as the source of the fire. Their prompt actions and well-coordinated efforts led to the swift containment of the blaze, ensuring that no further damage occurred beyond the BWP operated substation facility. There were no reported injuries or loss of property and the fire did not spread to any other structures.
Dawn Roth Lindell, the General Manager of BWP, expressed her gratitude towards the BFD, recognizing their top priority of community and employee safety. “We appreciate the response of Burbank’s fine Fire Department, which resulted in a quick fire containment preventing further substation damage and spread to surrounding structures,” she stated in a press release.
Currently, BWP crews remain at the scene, working diligently to repair the damaged equipment and restore power. Repair efforts are expected to continue throughout the night and the upcoming holiday weekend.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation as experts work to determine the factors that led to this incident.
