Penrose substation fire injures three as Auckland power outages affect thousands

A major fire at a Vector electrical substation on McNab Street in Auckland’s Penrose injured three people and caused power outages across nearby suburbs, 1News reported.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted at about 3.23pm local time on Thursday, 5 November, and sent crews from across Auckland. Hato Hone St John treated three people: one was taken to Middlemore Hospital in a serious condition, while two others were taken to Auckland City Hospital in moderate conditions, according to 1News.

Smoke from the blaze was visible across Auckland, and traffic backed up for several kilometres in both directions on the Southern Motorway. Fire and Emergency advised people in Penrose and Onehunga to close windows and doors because of the smoke. RNZ also reported that emergency crews were at the scene and residents had been advised to keep windows and doors shut.

Vector told 1News that about 7,000 customers were initially affected by outages and that power had been restored to approximately 3,000 through network switching, leaving about 4,000 affected at the time of its update. Police reported some intersections without power and assisted with traffic management.

Later reporting by 1News said the fire had been extinguished, while crews worked to make the site safe. A witness told the outlet they heard loud bangs, including sounds like explosions, but an explosion has not been confirmed. Fire and Emergency said the cause would be investigated.