Fire officials: No direct cause determined in Southern Power fire
Published 6:01 pm Tuesday, April 19, 2016
By Shavonne Walker
shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com
No direct cause could be determined a day after a transformer fire at Southern Power plant, fire officials said.
Multiple fire departments responded to the plant, located at 5755 N.C. 801, following a transformer and subsequent oil fire.
Crews immediately called for a second alarm, while hazardous materials units were also dispatched to the fire. Around 11:30 p.m., a foam truck from the fire station at the Army National Guard was called to the scene.
The fire was the result of a malfunction at the transformer, said Rowan Emergency Services Fire Division Chief Deborah Horne. She went onto say the main issue was the mineral oil housed inside the transformer.
Southern Power spokeswoman Leigh Knight said the transformer fire affected Plant Rowan Unit 1. It was plant employees who contacted first responders, who extinguished the fire shortly before midnight.
All plant personnel were safe and accounted for, she confirmed.
“The entire plant was taken offline as a precaution when the fire occurred, and the facility remains offline in a safe condition as we investigate the cause,” Knight said.
