PITTSBURGH — Chopper 11 video gave us our first up-close look at the specialized transformer at the power plant on Brunot Island Tuesday after it “catastrophically failed” and caused a massive fire Monday night.
PHOTOS: Smoke billowing from fire after reactor ‘catastrophically failed’ on Brunot Island
The transformer appears to be charred and was occasionally still smoking through the day Tuesday.
John Fotta lives right across the river from Brunot Island. He heard about the fire last night, and thought about going outside to check it out.
“I should go out and look at it!” Fotta recalled thinking. “But then I got sidetracked, and it didn’t seem like there was a lot of hubbub. They said they were letting it burn out, or something to that effect.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >> Large fire caused by failure of transformer on Brunot Island, officials say
Crews said they did have to let the fire burn for a while before being able to put it out.
“Due to some energized electrical components with 340,000 plus volts, we pulled our crews back,” Assistant Pittsburgh Fire Chief Brian Kokkila said Monday night.
According to a statement from Duquesne Light, fire crews got the fire out overnight, but their crews remained on Brunot Island to assess the damage and start the clean up process.
Their statement reads, “Fire crews successfully put out the fire on Brunot Island overnight. Our crews remain on the scene to assess the full damage, which was contained to the area around the transformer, and have begun the cleanup process. The incident has not resulted in any injuries, threats to the public or disruption to electric service. We will continue investigating the cause and working with the appropriate agencies to ensure the continued safety of our employees, customers and the environment. We thank everyone involved for their hard and diligent work in getting this matter resolved safely.”
While public safety said hazards were contained to Brunot Island, neighbors like Fotta still have concerns.
“I guess I would have a health concern, and I would be looking to leave, go north, go south, get out of the smoke area, but anywhere you go you’re probably gonna run into something,” Fotta said.
In a statement to Channel 11, the Allegheny County Health Department said they did not see fine particulate matter readings change dramatically because of the fire, saying the reading was in the moderate range all day.
“During most of the day on Monday, July 25, fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) was in the ‘moderate range’ for Allegheny County, including at the time of the Brunot Island fire. Readings from both the Allegheny County Health Department’s (ACHD) regulatory air quality monitors and other area non-regulatory monitors in the area around the island did not see PM2.5 levels change significantly because of the fire,” said ACHD Air Quality Monitoring Program Manager David Good. “Typically, structure fires, such as the one yesterday, are not large enough and do not release enough emissions to dramatically impact air quality in the region, other than areas in the immediate vicinity of the fire.”
Fotta is thankful it wasn’t an environmental situation similar to the East Palestine train derailment. He said he hopes all of those who responded and worked to put out the fire stay healthy.
“I do go to church on Sunday, so there’s another thing on my prayer list,” Fotta said.
Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek asked Duquesne Light for an interview Tuesday, but they declined. They directed us to a statement on their website.
That statement reads, “An issue with a specialized transformer led to a fire on Pittsburgh’s Brunot Island, a 129-acre island on the Ohio River, on Monday evening.
Duquesne Light Company (DLC) and Pittsburgh fire crews quickly responded to the scene shortly after 8 p.m. The fire was extinguished overnight. As of Tuesday morning, the incident had not resulted in any injuries, threats to the public or disruption to electric service.
The fire was contained to the area surrounding the transformer. DLC is continuing to monitor the overall impact to equipment on the island, where we own a power substation, and we are partnering with a third-party contractor to conduct air monitoring around the vicinity of the damaged transformer.
A specialized transformer, also known as a shunt reactor, is a container of oil and coils of copper used to manage electric voltage. It is different than a power transformer, which is used to transform power between different voltages. DLC does not generate power and only operates transmission and distribution facilities.
Safety continues to be our top priority — for our customers, employees, the public and the environment. We are investigating the cause of the incident and working with the appropriate agencies to ensure the continued safety of our customers, employees and the environment.
We thank everyone involved for their hard and diligent work in getting this matter resolved safely.”
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