Failed transformer causes fire in underground utility vault in Davenport

By Thomas Geyer Tgeyer

Failed transformer causes fire in underground utility vault in Davenport

An electrical transformer failure caused a fire to break out at an underground utility vault in the 300 block of Brady Street on Thursday, Davenport Fire Marshal Jim Morris said.

Davenport firefighters were sent to the area of Brady and 3rd streets at 11:05 a.m. to investigate a report of a possible structure fire.

While responding to the call, Scott County Emergency Communications advised there were multiple reports of a loud explosion and a large amount of black smoke coming out of the ground.

Fire crews quickly determined the source of the smoke was from an underground utility vault, Morris said.

Although the smoke had somewhat dissipated, Morris said there were multiple areas of fire noted underground and contained to the vault.

Specialized extinguishers were used to smother the flames which led to quick control of the fire.

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MidAmerican Energy arrived and determined an underground electrical transformer had failed and that it was the source of the explosion, smoke, and fire.

There were no injuries and only minor electrical disruptions occurred in the area, Morris said.

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