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Xcel said calls went out to about 200,000 customers primarily in the metro Denver area.
DENVER — Xcel Energy called thousands of Colorado customers Saturday to warn of potential power outages related to the elevated risk of wildfires – the first time the company has ever done so.
Xcel said the calls went out to about 200,000 customers primarily in the metro Denver area, focusing on areas that were anticipated to experience high winds.
“Dry conditions and high winds are expected to create increased wildfire risks in your area this weekend,” the message says. “Our top priority is ensuring the safety of our communities, customers and work crews.”
The message says Xcel is operating its electrical system in some areas “in a manner intended to decrease the risk of wildfire.”
Xcel Energy Colorado President Robert Kenney told 9NEWS they changed the settings on their wires so that if something comes into contact with one of them, it quickly becomes de-energized so that it won’t spark a fire. Workers can then examine the line before re-energizing it.
Crews were pre-positioned so that they could quickly respond to outages, Kenney said. As of 5 p.m. Saturday, fewer than 500 customers had been impacted.
Kenney told 9NEWS this was the first time the utility provider has communicated with its customers on a large scale about the steps they’re taking to mitigate the risk of wildfires.
“As the nature of the risk continues to evolve, so too, are the things that we’re doing to protect the public,” Kenney said.
He said the effort is unrelated to the Marshall Fire and maintained that Xcel’s equipment had nothing to do with starting it.
Xcel is facing hundreds of lawsuits claiming its power lines helped spark the Dec. 30, 2021 blaze, the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history. More than 1,000 homes were destroyed and two people were killed.
In June 2023, a report by the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office and Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said there were two fires that later combined. According to the report, the first was a planned burn on the Twelve Tribes property off Highway 93 near Marshall Road six days earlier, and strong winds picked it up. The second ignition point, the report said, likely came from a hanging Xcel Energy powerline just south of the Twelve Tribes location.
A Red Flag Warning issued Saturday expired at 7 p.m.
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