According to local reports, the incident occurred at the Fort Peck powerhouses, where witnesses reportedly heard a loud explosion at approximately 10 p.m. before seeing a fire in the vicinity of the facility. The Valley County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there had been “some kind of explosion” at a powerhouse, although officials had not yet determined what caused the incident or the full extent of the damage.
The situation prompted concern throughout the surrounding area as electricity was knocked out for thousands of residents. Power was later restored to the Glasgow area early Friday morning, although questions remained about the condition of the powerhouse and whether additional impacts to the regional power supply could occur.
The Fort Peck facility is an important part of the region’s energy infrastructure. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Peck Dam has two hydroelectric powerhouses containing five Francis-type turbines and generators, with a combined generating capacity of approximately 185 megawatts. The two powerhouses produce an average of about 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
Emergency personnel and authorities were expected to assess the scene and determine the cause of the reported explosion and fire. At the time of the initial reports, officials had not released detailed information regarding possible injuries or the extent of structural or equipment damage.
Local residents were urged to remain alert for official updates while crews continued responding to the incident.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Western Area Power Administration had not immediately released detailed information about the fire, while NorthWestern Energy was being contacted for comment regarding the widespread outage.
Authorities are expected to provide additional information as the investigation continues and the condition of the Fort Peck powerhouses becomes clearer.
Leave a Reply