Miami

Power Restored After Reported Explosion, Fire at FPL Substation in Miami-Dade

A reported explosion caused a large fire at a Florida Power and Light substation in Miami-Dade that left thousands without power for several hours Tuesday.

Witnesses reported hearing two explosions coming from the substation at Northwest 64th Street and 72nd Avenue.

"I heard two, back-to-back, real loud explosions, booms, and then all of the sudden the power went out, the computer, everything went out," Justin Sabljak said.

A large fire with thick black smoke was seen rising in the air from the scene where two transformers caught fire.

"I heard two booms, they were really loud booms, and then my boss and them was like, 'everybody leave' so I came down the street and started recording, seeing this, it was crazy," Tevares Harris said.

Miami-Dade Police said more than 27,000 FPL customers were without power but FPL officials said about 10,000 customers were initially affected. FPL had restored service to all customers by 8 p.m.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the scene and brought the fire under control with the help of a foam truck from nearby Miami International Airport.

Officials said no injuries were reported. An FPL van that was near the scene of the fire was badly damaged.

Fire officials also asked people with respiratory issues who live nearby to stay indoors.

"We have crews on scene working to restore service safely and as quickly as possible," FPL said in a statement.

Milam Dairy Road between Northwest 58th Street and Highway 934 was closed as a result of the fire.

Officials at nearby Miami International Airport said the fire caused a momentary issue but that operations were back to normal.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation.

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