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Pacific Power outage: Did Dave Johnston Plant fire cause blackouts in Oregon, Wyoming and South Dakota? Details here
A major power outage hit several cities in South Dakota and Wyoming on Thursday afternoon, with Rapid City and Casper among the most affected.
A massive power outage hit multiple cities in South Dakota and Wyoming on Thursday afternoon. Rapid City in South Dakota and Casper in Wyoming were among the worst hit, reportedly leaving almost 60,000 people without power.
The outages began around 12:45 and impacted parts of Casper, Mills, Evansville, Glenrock, Douglas, Sheridan, Buffalo, and more. While power came on briefly, it went out again.
An official cause for the fire was not revealed, but many were left wondering if a fire at a nearby power plant had caused the blackouts. Dave Johnston Power Plant in Converse County in Wyoming was also on fire early Thursday afternoon. Sharing this news, one person asked on X if there was possibly a link between the blaze and widespread blackouts. “Could this be related to the large-scale massive power outage affecting South Dakota & Wyoming..,” he wrote.
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Is power outage linked to Dave Johnston Power Plant fire?
Wyoming News Now also reported that it was investigating reports of a fire at or near a power plant in Glenrock. The outlet noted the Natrona County Fire District say that the possible cause is centered around the fire at the Dave Johnston Power Plant.
However, a report from Cowboy State Daily, a local Wyoming outlet, noted that the Dave Johnston Power Plant in Converse County was indeed on fire, but it happened after, not before the rolling power outages. Thus, it could not have anything to do with the blackouts.
Meanwhile, an update from Black Hills Energy noted that the outage was caused by a transmission facility located outside their system.
Wyoming Department of Homeland Security Director Lynn Budd told the publication that the aurora borealis that had unfurled midweek could be a cause. “It’s something we’ve considered — but we’re at the lower cycle of that. It could just be cascading consequences of cascading outages," she said.
Meanwhile, the power is not back yet in many areas.
