In the midst of some of the coldest weather this area has seen in a very long time, the entire town of Apex suddenly went completely dark around 5am Friday morning, 24 January 2003. Some of us were expecting the pager tones that soon followed, but the dispatch of a transformer fire at the CP&L substation on Highway 55 at US 1 was the first indication of a serious incident.

Engine 3 arrived first on-scene, established command and reported a "rather sizeable fire" at the substation. Quite the understatement, as we could see the glow in the sky from across town as we responded from the station. Engine 1 and Rescue 1 arrived to find flames and smoke billowing from one of the transformers. Engine 1's crew established a water supply while Rescue 1's crew evacuated the Days Inn which was right next door.

CP&L personnel were on-scene within minutes assessing the situation. RDU's crash truck arrived in case we needed to start a foam operation, and Apex EMS was standing by as well.

Once CP&L de-energized the system, our crews quickly doused the remaining fire without incident. Amazingly, power was fully restored to the Town of Apex by mid-afternoon.

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