Just after 8 p.m. on July 24, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, EMS, and Police responded to a large fire caused by the failure of a specialized transformer at a Duquesne Light facility on Brunot Island.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire worked closely with Duquesne Light crews on the land side in Marshall-Shadeland to first obtain as much information as possible about the nature of the fire and devise a plan to access the island by barge in order to move personnel and equipment in to safely extinguish the fire. 

The Norfolk Southern Rail line that crosses the Ohio River over Brunot Island was temporarily shut down during the fire and emergency operation. It has since reopened.

Overnight, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire was able to extinguish the fire and douse it with additional water to cool down the site.

There were no injuries to first responders, DLC crews and no threat to the public. 

Duquesne Light and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire will continue to investigate the cause and monitor any further impact.