Centerville substation fire knocks out power for thousands
Sep 23, 2024, 4:00 PM
Rocky Mountain Power issued a statement Thursday warning of possible power shutoffs in central and southern Utah over the weekend as fire danger becomes an increasing concern.(Adam Small/KSL NewRadio)
(Adam Small/KSL NewRadio)
CENTERVILLE, Utah — Power has been restored to more than 8,000 customers after a fire broke out at a Centerville substation Monday morning.
Firefighters said it started after some kind of explosion, but they were unsure what caused it. However, Rocky Mountain Power got the fire under control.
South Davis Metro Fire Battalion Chief Mike Hansen said firefighters won’t go near substation fires unless they have to and only if the power company gives them the green light.
Hansen said this is due to the potential dangers that come with electricity.
“Not knowing what we are getting into. So, that last thing you want to be doing is spraying a bunch of water and stuff inside an electrically charged area.”
Hansen did say they have dry chemical extinguishers. But when the power company arrived, they felt it best not to use them. Eventually, the fire took care of itself.
” … That fire pretty much burned itself out,” said Hansen.
KSL reporter Adam Small was on scene and said there wasn’t much to see once the fire was out, except a small tower of some kind blackened with a smoldering fire towards the top. The real sight was the cloud of black smoke right over Bountiful.
Hansen said the large plume of black smoke was from two different refineries having to burn out whatever product they couldn’t process before the power went out.
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