The Fire Near Heathrow: A Preventable Accident?
On May 20th, a blaze broke out at the substation in Hayes, London - near the Heathrow Airport - and disrupted one of Europe’s busiest airports and left tens of thousands of neighboring homes without power.
“Officials said that 25,000 liters of cooling oil in a transformer with 250,000 volts running through sparked a fire and caused a large explosion, severing the airport and others from the power grid,” according to AP News.
Could this have been prevented?
The Problem: Thermal Stress and Electric Failures
Over time, components like transformers, switchgear and cables develop thermal anomalies—hotspots invisible to the naked eye but early indicators of failure. Without proactive monitoring, these issues can escalate into catastrophic failures, leading to fires, outages and safety hazards. Switching to condition-based maintenance using continuous thermal monitoring is a proactive strategy to nearly mitigate the risks of these occurrences.
The Solution: How SYTIS can make a difference
Continuous, real-time thermal monitoring with AI-driven analytics detects subtle temperature changes before they become critical and cause failure. Unlike calendar-based maintenance scheduled inspections, which leave blind spots between checkups, 24/7 thermal surveillance ensures early detection of electrical stress, insulation breakdowns and component degradation of mission-critical assets.
SYTIS provides advanced, automated thermal monitoring systems designed to safeguard mission-critical electrical assets. By integrating solutions such as our TC-90™ Card Camera, industries can:
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- Detect anomalies remotely and in real-time and automate alarming
- Prevent costly downtime and failures
- Advance safety and operational resilience
- Reduce reliance on a thermographer’s manual inspections
As global infrastructure ages and energy demand grows, predictive maintenance is no longer optional—it’s essential. The Hayes fire is a stark reminder that outdated inspection methods leave room for disaster. The future of reliability lies in proactive, AI-driven thermal monitoring and condition-based maintenance.
Is your infrastructure protected?
Contact us to learn how SYTIS can help you prevent failures before they happen.