Wildfire causes power outage

CASPER (WNE) — A wildfire near the Dave Johnston Power Plant caused widespread power outages in Casper and surrounding municipalities, according to a spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power.

More than 20,000 customers in Natrona County found themselves sans power on Monday afternoon.

Rocky Mountain Power spokesman Jonathan Whitesides told the Star-Tribune that a wildfire close to transmission lines caused the company to shut down power out of caution. The shutdown is part of the “safety protocols,” he said, which means that if a wildfire comes within a certain proximity to their equipment, it will be de-energized.

“We work with local fire to determine at what point we’re not at risk, or if the risk goes down, and then from there, we’ll turn the power back on as quickly as we can,” Whitesides said.

“We have a 24/7 operations ... center, and so we’re monitoring this, we’re in contact with first responders, and then we make a determination at a specific point when we’re going to de-energize,” he added later in the conversation. “And we don’t really know that until we just have to do it.”

Whitesides said customers should make sure their communication methods are up to date to get notifications from the company and that they have some sort of backup plan with a family member, friend or health care provider if necessary.

This story was published on July 17, 2024.