Power substation explosion rocks Burbank neighborhood
A transformer explosion at a utility substation in Burbank on Friday briefly knocked out power for thousands of residents and caused a small fire in the area.
The explosion was reported just before noon in the 2100 block of Pacific Avenue and rattled residents as it sent a large fireball into the sky followed by a plume of black smoke, according to social media postings.
Around the same time as the explosion, the city also experienced a power surge and brief outage, according to Burbank Police Sgt. Derek Green. It’s unknown whether the explosion happened before the surge or vice versa, he said.
A request for comment from the Burbank Department of Water and Power was not immediately returned.
Green said the explosion caused a “pretty significant fire on the property†and homes in the immediate area were evacuated as a precaution while the Burbank Fire Department handled the flames.
Ultimately, no homes were affected by the fire, and no injuries were reported from the scene.
It’s unknown what caused the explosion.
