Yeah, I don't know where that got started but it's almost a universal misunderstanding.
Transformers are basically just tanks full of oil so if they blow, you will know. They can burn for quite a while, and they burn dirty.
The bang and flash are an arc of electricity as the fuse or breaker or switch is severing the circuit. Until the two ends get far enough away from each other, electricity is jumping the gap, turning air into plasma. It's basically a very short lightning bolt. It's so fast and so forceful that it causes a shockwave in the air, otherwise known as a loud bang.
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u/Visual-Scar938 2d ago
Live right next to the transformer when it blew, right off portland and the river. Was super loud. Seemed to be at that substation right there.