Loud explosion in transformer room caused power cut at Erasmus Sport

The transformer room of the sports building exploded last Sunday. The blast blew open a metal door and damaged the walls of the room. There were no people in the building at the time of the explosion.

On Sunday morning at 8.04am a failure, possibly a short circuit, occurred in the transformer room, which is located to the right of the rear entrance in the central hall of the sports building. That caused a ‘loud bang’, a university press officer said, which blew the metal door of the room open. The door was warped by the explosion and covered in soot. A TV hanging in the hall came away from the wall. A pane of glass next to the rear entrance was also shattered.

According to the university press officer the situation was ‘serious, but the immediate dangers remained limited’. “The walls of the transformer room were strong enough to contain the force of the explosion. A number of walls are slightly bowed. On Sunday a structural inspection was carried out as a precaution and the building’s structure is not damaged.”

Dozens of homes without power

Erasmus Sport director Jon de Ruijter was shaken by the incident. “Someone went to check because the alarm in the building went off. I had never heard of something like this happening. We are very glad that no one was in the building on Sunday morning.” The building normally opens at 11am on Sundays.

The explosion caused a power outage in the streets around the university. Power to homes was quickly restored by Stedin; the sports building remained closed on Sunday as a precaution.

Very rare

The cause of the explosion is yet unknown. It is being investigated by the owner of the transformer, the energy infrastructure company Joulz. A spokesperson for the company confirmed that Joulz is investigating the incident, which he describes as ‘very rare’. He cannot say whether the cause was a short circuit or whether that night’s thunderstorm may have played a part. A new installation for the building is already available, however structural repair work must take place first before it can be installed, he said.

Months of repairs

Because of the blast the building remained closed on Sunday. On Monday the building was able to reopen thanks to a rented diesel generator that is still standing behind the building to this day. The university expects that full repairs to the building will take months and believes it will be able to recover the costs through insurance.