Damage to Energized Cable Leads to Electrical Fire at Bus Shelter

Location: Kelowna

Regulated industry sector: Electrical – Low voltage electrical system (30V to 1000V)

Incident overview

A transit bus shelter had an electrical sign decommissioned but it was left energized. The electrical sign had originally been installed with a flex-cable that was unapproved for that use. It is likely that a combination of mechanical damage to the cable and moisture intrusion resulted in a short circuit creating heat and igniting combustibles.