Power restored after transformer explosion, fire in Cypress

About 75,000 customers affected by outage, utility company says

CYPRESS, Texas – Thousands left without power Tuesday after a transformer caught fire had their electricity restored early Wednesday morning.

Investigators said it was an internal failure at the Kluge Road CenterPoint substation in the 12000 block of Grant Road that likely started the fire that burned for several hours and affected the power grids.

Cypress Creek, Klein, Cypress and Houston Fire Departments responded to the scene and the fire was extinguished around 8:30 p.m.

“After reviewing the security camera footage with CenterPoint Cooperate Security, we confirmed that no criminal or suspicious activity occurred prior to the fire,” said Captain Dean Hensley. “The cause of the fire at the CenterPoint substation is accidental.”

CenterPoint estimates losses over $20 million.

Initially, people who live nearby were told to shelter in place because of all the thick, black smoke in the air. But that has been lifted.

The power went out before 6 p.m. in some places, making for a messy commute home.

At a strip center on Grant Road, the power went out just before 7 p.m.

A few miles away, the Candelario family was inside their Cypress home when the lights went out.

"The TVs turned off and then everything turned back on. And then the power (went) out after that," Moises Candelario said. "Food in the fridge, and I guess the AC for my kids. Because they're going to be hot. It's going to be hot for a while."

CenterPoint Energy issued the following statement Tuesday:

"Unfortunately, we have lost power to additional customers due to the impact of the fire on our facilities. At this time, approximately 75,000 customers are without power, and we do not anticipate any additional customer outages related to this event. We appreciate everyone’s patience while we work on restoring power during the next several hours."

 

Power was completely restored to affected customers by about 6 a.m. Wednesday according to CenterPoint. Some flashing traffic lights remained in the area. 

The energy company asked that customers keep their thermostats set at or above 78 degrees to avoid further outages.

"CenterPoint Energy crews successfully restored power to all of the customers affected by the fire at our substation. As we continue making repairs, we are asking customers in northwest Harris County to conserve energy. Steps such as raising thermostat settings to 78 degrees will reduce the load on our system and reduce the risk of outages through the day while we complete additional repairs. We appreciate the patience and support of our customers."