An electrical substation exploded near a city GP practice in Liverpool, sending a huge column of smoke into the air and forcing staff to evacuate.
Flames were seen erupting from the car park of Rock Court Surgery, a surgery and walk-in centre on St Oswalds Street in Old Swan, Liverpool, at around 8:20am. One woman was seen running away from the scene as a campervan parked beside the substation also caught fire and was left with massive scorch marks.
Fire crews respond quickly
Firefighters arrived within minutes to tackle the inferno as a large crowd gathered to watch and roads in the surrounding area were closed. A fire service spokesperson said crews were alerted at 8.23am and arrived at the site nine minutes later, with three fire engines initially in attendance.
The spokesperson said: "Crews arrived to find a substation well alight after an explosion and a fire had spread to a vehicle. Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus are still fighting the fire with two hose reel jets and requested a representative from Scottish Power to attend."
Road closures and evacuations
St Oswalds Street has been closed between Edge Lane and Prescot Road. A 30-metre cordon is in place around the incident and fire crews will move to fully extinguish the fire once the sub-station is isolated. A nearby walk-in centre has lost power and has been evacuated. Merseyside Police is in attendance assisting with traffic management.
A Scottish Power representative is now on scene and assessing the damage, one fire engine currently remains on scene, with a cordon still in place. Please avoid the area while the incident is ongoing.
Witness reports
One witness reported hearing a loud "bang" at 8:15am before the whole substation was ablaze. "There was smoke everywhere," the woman said. "It was quite scary, especially given it was so close to the cars. We thought they were going to go up in flames. A campervan was torched."
The fire service was there in 10 minutes and the road was closed. It was put out by about 8.40am. The walk-in centre and GP surgery have been evacuated, they're waiting for Scottish Power to get the power back on. A local worker said he believed some electrical units caught fire, with crews arriving at the scene "very quickly".
The Mirror has contacted Rock Court Surgery and Scottish Power for comments.
