WAPA: Small Fire Reported In St. Croix Generating Unit During Startup Thursday Afternoon

ST. CROIX — Interim Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority Julio Rhymer said Thursday that a small, self-contained fire occurred around midday in the generator accessory compartment (GAC) of Unit 20 during its start-up, W.A.P.A. revealed via press release.

The fire, at the Estate Richmond Power Plant, was quickly extinguished by plant personnel without incident, and resulted in only minor damage to a transformer on the unit, according to the release.

“Plant operators were in the process of starting Unit 20 when the fire erupted in the transformer used to provide power to the unit’s cooling system,” Mr. Rhymer said. He added that no injuries were reported as a result of the incident and electrical service to WAPA’s customers was not affected.

As a precautionary measure and consistent with the authority’s Emergency Evacuation and Response Plan, an evacuation of the power plant was ordered. The Virgin Islands Fire Services was immediately notified and came on site to investigate the extent of the incident, says the release.

Mr. Rhymer commended plant personnel for their quick response in isolating, controlling and extinguishing the fire.