Power cut and two fireballs seen during explosion in Ainsworth

Saturday, 5 July 2025 17:55

By David Murphy

An eyewitness described the scene as 'absolutely terrifying' after two explosions and power loss rocked a neighbourhood in Ainsworth, today, Saturday 5 July.

Emergency services were called to the Ainsworth area near Tommy Lane shortly before 5.45pm following reports of a loud explosion and visible fireballs.

One local resident described hearing a "massive bang" followed by a power outage before witnessing two separate fireballs from her window.

According to early witness accounts, the explosion caused significant disruption, with smoke seen billowing into the sky and electricity outages reported in parts of the neighbourhood.

It is currently believed that the explosion may be linked to an incident at a local power substation. Electricity North West reported that the power cut was caused by an unexpected incident on the high voltage cable supplying homes and businesses in the area. The issue was first reported at 5.22pm, with 159 properties currently without supply. A response team is en route and the estimated time for restoration is around 8.22pm.

Electricity North West stated: "We didn't know before your electricity went off that this was going to happen but now we know, rest assured we will get your power back on safely and as quickly as possible."

They added that timescales may change based on conditions as engineers investigate and resolve the issue, and that in high voltage power cuts, some properties can often be restored earlier than the estimated time.

Greater Manchester Police and the fire service have yet to release an official statement, but emergency vehicles were reportedly seen arriving at the scene within minutes of the incident.

More details will follow as they become available.