Substation fire in Yerevan injures two firefighters, cuts power to 5,000
An electrical substation fire on Yerevan's Tsitsernakaberd Highway injured two firefighters and cut power to about 5,000 subscribers, officials said.
An electrical substation fire on Yerevan's Tsitsernakaberd Highway injured two firefighter-rescuers and cut power to about 5,000 subscribers, Armenia's interior ministry and the power utility said.
The blaze was reported at 17:07 local time and extinguished by 21:10, interior ministry spokesperson Narek Sargsyan told reporters. He said the two rescuers had been treated for carbon monoxide exposure sustained while fighting the fire, and that no civilian injuries were reported.
Armenian media initially described the blaze as large and difficult to bring under control, before firefighters extinguished it that evening. A round-the-clock duty watch was set up at the site afterwards, the interior ministry said.
Romanos Petrosyan, acting director of Electric Networks of Armenia, told reporters at the scene that his company's specialists believe a fire of this scale should not have happened at the substation. He said the company had filed a report over a possible criminal act and did not rule out any scenario, including outside interference.
An internal investigation covering the company's staff, from duty officers to specialists, will be carried out, Petrosyan said. He said power would be restored to all affected subscribers, most of them in Yerevan's central Kentron district, within hours.
Once the substation cools, engineers will inspect it, Petrosyan said. If it can be repaired, the company will rebuild it on site; if not, a new substation of equivalent capacity will be built on the same plot. He added that the company is separately seeking land near the Monte Melkonyan highway, with Yerevan's city government, to build a new high-voltage substation.
Armenian broadcaster Panorama.am reported that authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, and Armenpress said the inquiry was ongoing.
What we know
- Substation fire on Tsitsernakaberd Highway in Yerevan broke out at 17:07 and was extinguished by 21:10
- Two firefighter-rescuers were treated for carbon monoxide exposure; one was hospitalised
- About 5,000 subscribers, mostly in Yerevan's Kentron district, lost power
- Electric Networks of Armenia says the fire should not have occurred at that scale and has reported a possible crime
- No civilian injuries were reported
Why it matters for Europe
The fire cut electricity to thousands of households in central Yerevan and is now the subject of a possible criminal investigation, adding scrutiny to the security of Armenia's power infrastructure. Petrosyan said his own engineers could not explain how a blaze of this size could have started at the substation, leaving open the possibility of outside interference as the inquiry continues. The company's parallel plan to build a new substation near the Monte Melkonyan highway reflects its own assessment that the current site needs replacing, he said.
Sources
Reported by 5 reports from 5 independent outlets in 4 countries.
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Questions and answers
- What caused the Yerevan substation fire?
- The cause is under investigation; the power utility's acting director said such a large fire should not have happened and has not ruled out interference.
- How many people lost power?
- About 5,000 subscribers, mostly in Yerevan's Kentron district, lost electricity during the fire.
- Was anyone seriously hurt?
- Two firefighter-rescuers were treated for carbon monoxide exposure, with one hospitalised; no civilian injuries were reported.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.