Huge fire breaks out at electricity substation in Northampton, people evacuated and massive power cut to hundreds of homes

A huge fire broke out in Northampton on Thursday evening which has sparked a major incident in the town.

FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: 10 pictures of the Northampton blaze aftermath which ripped through two 11,000 volt substations and cut power to 4,800 homes Four fire crews from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue are currently on the scene in Semilong Road near the Co-op, alongside Northamptonshire Police and East Midlands Ambulance Service.

The blaze at the substation broke out at around 9pm. Just before midnight, the fire was still raging and firefighters battled to put out the flames.

As a result, there has been a huge power cut affecting hundreds of homes in the NN1 and NN2 area. There are also reports of the lights going on and off in homes in different postcodes across town.

It is expected the power will be off until 5am due to the severity of the fire and the damage caused. Speaking to a Chron journalist, reporting live from Semilong Road this evening, one resident said: "I was just about to go to the Co-op and I was in the house and the lights went on and off. Then stopped completely.

"I went outside and saw the fire. I was panicking a little bit because I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know if it would effect the house.

"It's been more than an hour and the fire is not going down. I'm disappointed it's not going down. It's getting bigger."

Another neighbour who, along with many others are out in the street this evening as the drama unfolds, said: "I live five doors down from where the fire was. I've got no power. I've been told potentially 48 hours before I get power back."

The busy road is currently taped off at Lower Adelaide Street. A number of people who live in the flats behind the substation have been evacuated as a precaution.

They are being looked after by emergency services who have given them blankets to keep warm, while others are sat in police cars charging phones.

Resident in the area have been advised to keep doors and windows closed.

Northamptonshire Police said: "We are currently assisting @northantsfire who have 2 appliances at the scene of a fire in Semilong Rd, #Northampton. Local residents are advised to keep windows and doors closed."

Western Power Distribution (WPD) had initially said power would be restored by 11pm Thursday. While some homes were connected back up, WPD has now advised residents that they will be without power until 5am Friday due to the amount of work needed to be done and the damage caused on site.

WPD apologised and said engineers were doing all they could to restore power as soon as possible.

A spokesman said: "We have a fault on the high voltage network in your area. Our engineers aim to restore power by approximately 05:00. Apologies for any inconvenience."

Just after midnight, two cordons remained in place - one for the public and another around the flats behind the substation.