Smoke would still be visible in the sky of Vernou-la-Celle-sur-Seine (Seine-et-Marne) but no more danger hangs over the safety of residents. This Wednesday, around noon, a fire broke out in the Chesnoy electrical transformer station, operated by the RTE network.
The firefighters of Seine-et-Marne were mobilized at 11:45 am to extinguish the fire that occurred after the explosion of the electrical transformer. At the height of the intervention, eighty firefighters and nearly forty vehicles were dispatched to the site located away from homes and closed to the public. The extinguishing operations finally ended at 14:38 p.m.
No homes were without electricity during the afternoon. According to the prefecture, some voltage drops could affect the network in the coming hours but "the situation is being restored". The SNCF TGV line from Gare de Lyon to Paris was slowed until 15 p.m. with "trains temporarily stopped". However, delays may persist in the evening.
The fire that broke out in the electrical transformer of #VernouLaCelleSurSeine is now extinguished.
Residual fumes may still be visible following extinguishing operations.
— Prefect of Seine-et-Marne (@Prefet77) June 7, 2023
No air pollution identified
In addition, a crisis unit - organised by the RTE group - has made it possible to inform the elected representatives of Vernou and local residents of the evolution of the situation. "There was black smoke visible for a few hours unfortunately," said Alain Momon, the mayor of the commune, before adding that a next information point will be held at the end of the day.
"It is possible that residual fumes will be seen in the coming days but firefighters have not identified toxicity beyond the substation," reassures the operator of the electricity transmission system. The same observation was made by the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne: the accident would not have led to any air, soil or water pollution.
A technical investigation conducted by RTE should make it possible to assess the cost of the damage and to know the precise causes of this disaster, which occurs "rarely" according to the manager.
