A fire in Kingston this afternoon has caused a severe power cut, affecting hundreds of residents living near Kingston University’s Penrhyn Road campus.
The blaze broke out after an EDF electricity substation exploded at about 1pm, wrecking a nearby parked car after a transformer landed on it and setting fire to another car and a tree.
Four fire engines had to be rushed to the scene from Surbiton and Kingston fire stations, who set up a cordon around the area for nearly two hours to protect people living nearby, and a circus which was being set up.
A spokesman from Surbiton fire station said: “The initial bang got a few people worried and there was a lot of black and acrid smoke being given off.
“The incident was quite protracted because we had to wait for EDF to arrive on the scene so they could switch off the electricity.”
Kingston University confirmed the incident had caused problems with its email system but no major problems were reported.
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