Blast Cuts Power to 360,000 in Subzero Weather

DENVER —  An estimated 360,000 people were left without electricity in subzero temperatures for several hours Friday after a utility substation exploded in flames, cutting off power to a 36-square-mile area of southeast Denver.

Three public schools closed because the power outage left buildings cold and dark.

Firefighters put out the smoky blaze 1 1/2 hours after being summoned to the Leetsdale substation at 7:25 a.m. No one was injured.

Public Service Co. of Colorado restored service to most of the affected area by mid-morning, but many homes and businesses in a four-square-mile area remained without heat and electricity Friday afternoon.

“They (repair crews) are getting as much operable as they can as quickly as they can,” said Public Service Co. spokesman Neal Linkon. “Three feeder lines are still down. We expect to have everyone up soon.”

“Our best guess is that at its peak, about 360,000 people were affected,” Linkon said.

Below-Zero Temperatures

Temperatures hovered at 4 degrees below zero most of the day, and residents who found their homes without electricity worried about water pipes freezing.

The Red Cross made contingency plans for nursing homes in the area that might have to be evacuated, said Red Cross director J. P. Smith.

Shortly after the fire began, smoke from the blaze rose 2,000 feet into the air above the substation, and Denver police called in every available officer to rout rush-hour traffic around the area.

Besides snarling traffic in the area near the fire, the explosion caused widespread problems at intersections throughout southeast Denver because of darkened traffic signals. Police officers directed traffic at major intersections.

The fire began in a substation transformer, Linkon said, adding that officials do not know for sure what happened. The transformer exploded, sending smoke and flames hundreds of feet into the air.

The Leetsdale substation is situated near George Washington High School, which was evacuated about 45 minutes after the explosion. The school has about 1,500 students.