On Tuesday afternoon, Xcel Energy confirmed its plans to implement a public safety power shutoff in parts of southern Colorado on Wednesday. “Xcel Energy will implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff beginning around noon tomorrow, April 22, to lessen the risk of wildfire and protect public safety, impacting around 7,100 customers in Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla and Rio Grande counties,” the energy company said in a press release.
Forecasted strong winds and low humidity, along with dry conditions and a historically low snowpack, will create high wildfire risk in the San Luis Valley. The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning with a Particularly Dangerous Situation in the area. On Monday, the company announced that public safety shutoffs were possible. They later confirmed their plans to implement them. Xcel said it will monitor weather conditions throughout the day on Wednesday and will only de-energize the lines if extreme weather conditions occur. Conditions are expected to begin improving by 7 p.m. The company said restoration work will begin once conditions are safe for the crews.
They expect the process to take several hours, but service in some areas may not be restored until Thursday. Xcel encouraged customers to prepare for shutoffs in advance, particularly those with medical equipment that relies on electricity. Enhanced powerline safety settings will also be implemented statewide to mitigate wildfire hazards. This makes the lines more sensitive and can stop the flow of electricity if anything touches them.
A U.S. F-16 fighter jet pilot safely ejected before the aircraft crashed in northern Michigan on Thursday afternoon, officials said. The incident occurred in Grand Traverse…
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers were called to investigate a mountain lion that had decided to climb a tree in Westminster on Tuesday and hang out…
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is investigating two bear attacks over the weekend that left a woman and a teen injured. The first incident happened at the…
A Mount Shasta climber was airlifted to a hospital after sliding about 500 feet down the mountain, injuring himself and then crawling through the night to…
A growing number of residents in two Northern California counties have been allowed to return home as firefighters increased containment on the Lucas Fire burning near…
An Arizona mother is recovering after she was attacked by a coyote that initially went after her 4-year-old daughter, reports AZFamily. Brittany Cardinal of Surprise, Arizona,…
A married, 21-year-old Christian woman was shot dead inside her home in Rawalpindi last week by a Muslim neighbor whose advances she had rejected, reflecting an…
A 17-year-old Christian man named Ikhlaq Masih was severely beaten by a mob in Nasrat Colony, a town in Ajnianwala, Sheikhupura, Pakistan, where many Christians reside. …
A nine-year-old boy was killed and a three-year-old girl was injured in two separate leopard attacks in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district, forest officials said on Tuesday.…
Wisconsin congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany said he suffered minor injuries after a plane he was in made an emergency landing Saturday night on…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are under fire from Republicans after the two socialists were captured on video apparently sharing…
A cargo ship docked for repairs in a Chinese port caught fire, killing 25 people, Chinese state media reported Thursday. The ship was being repaired in…
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Friday the man who investigators say stalked a woman for months before executing her in a Panera Bread parking lot…
The WBZ-TV Weather Team is issuing a NEXT Weather Alert for a potentially tricky weather situation for Sunday, especially across Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts, where…
The cyclospora food poisoning outbreak linked to recalled iceberg lettuce is over, U.S. health officials said Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is…
Tokyo police arrested two American women for allegedly smuggling $1 million worth of cannabis into the country, with one suspect claiming she was motivated by a…