LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5)—The cause of the exploded transformer, which caused a large fire and black smoke to fill the sky in Boulder City, remains under investigation.
Multiple agencies responded to the fire at the Western Area Power Administration’s Mead Substation on Aug. 29 around 5 p.m., which involved a 500-kilovolt transformer.
Boulder City Fire Department shared details on its efforts to extinguish the fire. They explained that it took a little over four hours to de-energize and ground the transformer before firefighting operations began, and those efforts continued through the night.
According to officials, no injuries or outages were reported during the trip event in the Desert Southwest Region.
WAPA crews and their engineers will lead the investigation to assess the situation and damages.
“The safety of our employees and the surrounding community is our top priority,” said Stephen Collier, Public Affairs Specialist for the Western Area Power Administration.
WAPA told FOX5 that a spare transformer on site will be installed in place of the damaged one as soon as possible
BCFD thanked the local agencies that assisted on the scene, including the Henderson Fire Department, Clark County Fire Department, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, Boulder City Police Department, Community Ambulance, and NDOT.
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