Amid wind gusts along the Front Range that neared 100 mph — blowing down trees and rattling cars — Xcel Energy shut off power to tens of thousands of customers on Saturday as a preemptive safety measure to reduce the risk of wildfires. As of late Sunday, the company said that some of those customers won’t see their power restored until Monday — or possibly longer.
Xcel shut off power to about 55,000 customers in Boulder, Gilpin, Larimer, Douglas, Broomfield and Jefferson counties.
But the windstorm knocked out power to about 100,000 more customers, Xcel said Sunday.
Approaching sundown on Sunday, crews had restored power to about 63,000 customers, but more than 87,000 customers were still experiencing outages across the state.
Outages affected a wide swath of the Front Range, including the Thornton, Westminster, Broomfield, Boulder, Denver, Lakewood, Golden, Arvada, Englewood, Centennial, Littleton, northwest Douglas County, Indian Hills, Evergreen, Idaho Springs and Georgetown areas around 8:40 p.m., according to Xcel’s outage map.
Xcel’s announcement of the safety shutdown of power came in the wake of the Marshall fire in 2021 in Boulder County, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes.
“Turning off customers’ power is not something we take lightly, but intended to decrease the risk of wildfire,” Xcel said on X, ahead of the shutdown.
Some people on X expressed frustration with the shutoff and the short notice they received. That led Gov. Jared Polis to issue a tweet in response.
“I understand everyone’s frustration with Xcel’s decision to cut power this weekend but please use patience and kindness to frontline Utility workers working to RESTORE power to the community,” Polis wrote on X. “They weren’t the ones who made the decision. They’re just trying to restore power and many of them are working overtime, so let’s be nice.”
Customers can help Xcel “get a jump” on restoring power by reporting outages, the company said in a news release.
People can report outages online at xcelenergy.com/out or by texting OUT to 98936. Text STAT to the same number to check the status of an outage.
Outages can also be reported by calling 1-800-895-1999, and the automated system lets customers report in less than 60 seconds.
“The system or an Xcel Energy representative will provide customers with an estimated restoration time when available,” the release said.
People can also report outages through the My Xcel Energy mobile app.
Power outages can affect people who use electric medical equipment, as Xcel acknowledged before the shutoff.
“As an important reminder to customers who have medical equipment that relies on electric service, please take steps to prepare for potential extended outages in case proactive shutoffs are necessary,” Xcel said in a release ahead of the power shutoff.
South Metro Fire Rescue said people who depend on medical oxygen should be prepared with spare bottles or consider staying with family, friends or in a hotel outside of the planned outage area.
“SMFR is only equipped to provide oxygen for medical emergencies and your regular provider should be contacted for non-emergent needs,” the fire agency said on X.
People should take some precautions before power comes back on.
“For customers with power outages, you may want to unplug appliances containing electronic components, such as televisions, microwaves, and computers to prevent damage as power is being restored,” Xcel wrote in a news release. “If you see downed power lines, stay away and call 911.”
The company also urged people to check for damage to their electric service mast, a pipe mounted to houses through which electric service wires run.
“If there are damages to the mast, you must contact a licensed electrician to make repairs before we can restore service,” the company said.
To help get through outages, Xcel listed some suggestions in the April 5 news release for how to build a “home emergency kit.”
Xcel suggested keeping phones and other devices charged and having on hand a battery-powered radio, flashlights, backup phone chargers, a phone that does not require electricity, bottled water and non-perishable food, a first-aid kit, extension cords for partial outages, and manufacturer’s instructions on how to manually open power-operated doors, like garage doors.
A precaution likely prolonged certain power outages as Xcel used safety settings to reduce wildfire risk.
“Typically, when there is an issue that causes a power outage on a line, such as a tree branch contacting a power line, equipment on the system will attempt to restore power automatically, usually within a few seconds,” Xcel wrote in a news release. “During this extreme weather event, Xcel Energy changed the settings on those systems in many areas to prevent the automatic restoration of power. Instead, crews will patrol the area to ensure it is safe to restore service before re-energizing the line.
“This safety measure means power outages are likely to last longer than they typically would,” Xcel added.
Deciding where to interrupt electrical service depends on several factors, the company said.
That includes “expert analysis of meteorological data, weather conditions, and digital model simulations,” Xcel said in the release. “We also account for the types of infrastructure present in the area.”
