A fire that ignited at a Modesto Irrigation District substation plant early Thursday morning finally burned itself out hours later.
The Modesto Irrigation District and the Modesto Fire Department decided to let the blaze burn out instead of trying to extinguish it, which happened sometime before 11:30 a.m.
Images from LiveCopter 3 around 7 a.m. showed flames shooting out of a transformer as fire crews began to douse the flames. The capacitors are full of mineral oil, the Modesto Fire Department said.
As the fire intensified, fire crews backed away from the fire. A dry extinguisher failed.
Some residents in the area heard an explosion, fire officials said.
The substation is located on Parker Road.
There is no word on what caused the fire or how much damage was done, according to officials.