A strong explosion caused by the failure of an autotransformer in the electrical substation The Apple Treelocated in the Cathedral parish of the Iribarren municipality, unleashed a fire of alarming proportions that interrupted the electricity supply in large sectors of Barquisimeto. The event, whose dense columns of black smoke were captured on videos by neighbors and passersby, once again puts on the table the structural fragility of the electrical service in the state of Lara.
Although the immediate deployment of specialized crews from the National Electric Corporation (Corpoelec) —following guidelines from the territorial manager in the region, Eng. Alcides Colmenárez— allowed security protocols to be activated, the fire extinguished and diagnostic work carried out in the area. The inhabitants of the affected communities warn that these types of incidents are not isolated events.
Situation in El Manzano
The recurrence of voltage fluctuations, dips and prolonged blackouts keeps citizens in a constant situation of anxiety. The departure from circuits caused by the incident in El Manzano has a direct impact on daily urban life, affecting not only residential lighting, but also the drinking water pumping systems and the operation of local businesses, which operate under the uncertainty of an electrical system deteriorated due to the lack of investment and comprehensive preventive maintenance.
After the contingency, the technical and operational staff of the state electricity company dedicated themselves to recovery maneuvers to restore the load in the impacted circuits of the Iribarren municipality. However, users demand responses that transcend simple temporary emergency care.
The failure at the El Manzano substation adds to the long list of incidents that hit basic services in the west of the country, evidencing that the transmission and distribution network requires deep modernization plans to prevent the region from continuing to be exposed to recurring collapses that paralyze economic and social activity.
