Xcel Energy activates safety setting on power lines to reduce fire danger

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — There were times on Monday when hundreds of homes experienced unplanned electric outages across metro Denver.

Those outages, which could be seen on Xcel’s outage page, happened as a Red Flag Warning went into effect during the day.

The National Weather Service said high winds and dry conditions are a big concern.

“That could pose concerns for wildland fire growth so if a spark or a fire were to occur. This wind could carry the embers of those fires quicker and pose concerns for firefighters trying to contain those situations,” National Weather Service Boulder Warning Coordination Meteorologist Greg Heavener said.

To help deal with the wind, Xcel Energy said it implemented enhanced powerline safety settings. The goal, a spokesperson said, was to stop fires from starting.

“What these settings do is they put our lines in a more sensitive setting so that if a tree or an object were to come in contact with our line, it would shut off,  to ensure that the flow of electricity would stop and it would lower the chance of ignition from our power lines,” Xcel Energy Director of Community Relations Andrew Holder said.

Xcel said the setting allows smaller segments of lines to be shut down therefore impacting fewer households.

The company said no public safety power shutoffs were planned. FOX31 went to a neighborhood in Superior where more than a hundred homes unexpectedly lost power. Resident Sandy McKee never lost power, but was surprised when she walked outside.

“It looked like a yard sale. My door mat. My wreath. My flower box just all in the front yard. And you know that pile of leaves I raked yesterday? They blew to Kansas!” McKee said.

The NWS said it expected gusts of to 45 to 50 mph throughout the day. Rebecca DeLaVega knew what to do.

“Get the inflatables down. So we don’t have to chase them down the street,” DeLaVega said.

The National Weather Service said people in Denver and much of Colorado shouldn’t let their guard down. More wind is expected to come in what meteorologists say is a very windy month here.