Overview
- A medium-voltage RMU on the footpath outside Gate No. 3 of the Amazon office near Bagalur Cross exploded on Wednesday morning, injuring a pedestrian identified as Md Afroz, who was treated for hand burns and discharged from hospital.
- The Amazon-area blast was captured on a vehicle dashcam that circulated widely and showed bystanders and schoolchildren panic as flames and debris erupted from the unit.
- Hours later on the same day a separate transformer burst in Benniganahalli, injuring four people who were taken to a private hospital and prompting at least one police negligence report against BESCOM staff.
- BESCOM and police technical teams are examining the damaged RMU and the Benniganahalli transformer to find a root cause; preliminary accounts from officials cite a possible short circuit inside the RMU, and experts have noted overloading, ageing equipment or poor maintenance as potential factors.
- Ring main units and street transformers form part of the medium-voltage distribution network and are normally tracked by asset codes and lifecycle records, so officials and residents will be watching whether tighter inventory, more frequent maintenance or improved placement off footpaths follow the probes.