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A large fire at a high-voltage electricity substation in the north of the Netherlands is expected to burn for days, and rather than trying to put it out, firefighters have decided to let it burn itself out under close control. As of Monday morning, the fire at the TenneT substation in Meeden, in east Groningen, was entering its third day.
A fire that cannot be extinguished
The blaze broke out on Saturday evening, around 7pm, in a transformer on the site of TenneT, the national electricity grid operator. What makes it so difficult to tackle is what is burning. Beneath the station are six cellars filled with cooling oil, each containing roughly 140,000 litres, and it is this oil that has caught fire.
Putting it out is not a straightforward option. According to a spokesperson for the Groningen safety region, water cannot be used, because it would actually cause the fire to spread further. The fire is also too large to smother with foam, and the cellars cannot be reached safely, not least because of the very high voltages on the site. For those reasons, the fire service concluded that letting the fire burn out in a controlled way is the best available option, including for the surrounding area.
“A burn-out scenario is therefore the best possible option, also for the surroundings,” the spokesperson said. Rather than fighting the oil fire directly, firefighters are concentrating on cooling the installations and buildings next to it, using multiple water jets and a firefighting robot, to stop the flames spreading to the adjacent building. A drone team has been supporting the operation with images from the air. The safety region says the chance of the fire jumping to neighbouring installations is now negligible.
No power cut, no injuries
Despite the scale and duration of the fire, its practical impact has so far been contained. The affected part of the substation was shut down as a precaution, and the electricity supply was rerouted, so there has been no power outage in the region. No one was injured in the fire, and the cause is not yet known.
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Smoke is the main concern for residents
For people living nearby, the chief nuisance is smoke, which has been drifting across the area and has prompted questions from residents about what it contains and how harmful it is. The authorities have sought to reassure them: there is no direct danger to those living in the vicinity, though the smoke can be unpleasant. As a precaution, an emergency alert (NL-Alert) was sent to the surrounding area, and residents of Meeden and nearby are being advised to keep their windows and doors closed and to switch off mechanical ventilation while the smoke persists.
The safety region has warned that the smoke nuisance could continue until Tuesday or even Wednesday morning. To address the unrest among residents, the authorities are holding a public information meeting in the village hall in Meeden, and local mayors have visited the scene.
What happens next
This remains a developing situation. As of Monday morning, the fire was still burning and firefighters had again been called out overnight, with the transformer being allowed to burn out under supervision. Firefighters expect to be on site at least until Tuesday, and possibly longer. The key facts for now are that the fire is being managed rather than fought, that it has caused no power cut and no injuries, and that the main effect on the public is smoke, which is expected to linger for a couple more days. The cause of the fire will be investigated once the situation is safe.