Hundreds of Xcel Energy workers are inspecting power lines and poles and making repairs to restore electricity for more than 80,000 customers in Colorado following severe winds that impacted the area. The National Weather Service has lifted the red flag warning and the particularly dangerous situation designation, with wildfire risk conditions easing as of 5:00 a.m. Saturday.
Adverse weather created an extreme wildfire risk, leading Xcel Energy to implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event in Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties. Additional outages also affected customers outside of the PSPS event.
Some customers have already had their service restored. Xcel Energy expects most customers will have power back by 10:00 p.m. tonight. In some cases, restoration may extend into Sunday due to significant damage and the location of affected infrastructure. Crews must visually inspect lines for damage before repairs can be completed and service restored.
Xcel Energy has been communicating with its customers throughout the week and provided updated restoration timelines this morning using each customer’s preferred contact method. Customers will continue to receive updates as estimates are revised and repair work progresses.
The company emphasized worker safety during restoration efforts and asked customers to help ensure safe conditions for crews working to restore power as quickly as possible.
Customers are advised to report any damage such as downed power lines or broken poles to Xcel Energy and stay away from affected areas.
Xcel Energy is working with the American Red Cross and local emergency management offices to open resource centers for those impacted by outages caused by high winds. These centers provide phone charging stations and other emergency household supplies at several locations across affected communities:
– Georgetown Community Center – 613 Sixth St., Georgetown (open 8 a.m.–8 p.m.)
– Carmody Middle School – 2050 S. Kipling St., Lakewood (open 9 a.m.–5 p.m.)
– Gilpin County Overnight Shelter – 10595 Highway 119, Black Hawk (open 24 hours)
– Evergreen Fire Station – 1802 Bergen Pkwy., Evergreen (open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
– Clear Creek Health and Wellness Center – 1969 Miner St., Idaho Springs (open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
– Berthoud Fire Station – 248 Welch Ave., Berthoud (open Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Red Xcel Energy trucks will also be present at these resource centers providing support and information to customers. Those needing food assistance can use the Food Finder Map to locate Hunger Relief Partners in communities across Colorado.
Customers have several options for reporting outages: through the Xcel Energy mobile app available on Apple’s App Store or Google Play; online at xcelenergy.com/out; by texting OUT or STAT to 98936; or by calling 1-800-895-1999 where automated phone reporting allows outage reports in under one minute.
Updates about this weather event are available on Xcel Energy’s website, where customers can check outage maps for current information on outages and estimated restoration times when available. Customers are encouraged to keep their account information up-to-date in My Account.
Xcel Energy continues investing in system improvements aimed at reducing wildfire risks and limiting outage size, scope, and duration. Since launching its Wildfire Mitigation work in 2020, the company reports it replaced over eight thousand distribution poles, inspected thousands more distribution poles and miles of transmission lines, performed hundreds of priority equipment repairs on transmission systems, and installed new protection relays at substations during improvements made in 2024.
According to Xcel Energy: “Public Safety Power Shutoff events reduce wildfire risk and protect public safety. We use weather forecasts and other data sources to decide how best to protect our customers and the communities we serve.” The company notes that factors such as strong winds, low humidity, and extremely dry conditions contributed to activating yesterday’s PSPS event.
“Customers living in areas where power lines are underground or who do not see visible damage nearby may still be affected by a Public Safety Power Shutoff event or an outage due to how their neighborhood connects with the broader electric grid,” according to Xcel Energy.
Xcel Energy states it is committed “to leading the clean energy transition while keeping bills as low as possible.” The company serves millions of electricity and gas customers across eight states from its headquarters in Minneapolis.
