BOULDER CITY, Nev. (AP) — A transformer exploded Tuesday at the Hoover Dam, producing a cloud of thick black smoke and flames that were quickly extinguished. No one was injured and electricity continues to flow from one of the largest hydroelectric facilities in the country, authorities said.
“There is no risk to the power grid,” according to Jacqueline L. Gould, the federal Bureau of Reclamation’s regional director for the Lower Colorado region. The fire broke out around 10 a.m. and was out in half an hour, she said.
The Hoover Dam, located on the Nevada-Arizona border about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Las Vegas, is a popular tourist destination, and some visitors captured the scene on video and quickly shared it on social media.
William Hero, 13, of San Francisco, was on an observation bridge with his parents when he saw the explosion and then heard a “big boom.”
“A ton of black smoke just blew into the air. It almost looked like a mushroom and then there was a fire,” said Hero, who posted a cellphone video of it on TikTok. “I was really surprised and started taking pictures.”
Reports indicate that the explosion occurred in a building a short distance downstream from the base of the dam. The complex is in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River.
The cause of the fire is being investigated and it is not clear how extensive the damage is to the transformer.
According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the dam is the second highest in the United States at 726 feet (221 meters). Each of its 17 generators can supply electricity to 100,000 households.
About 20,000 vehicles a day cross the broad crest of the dam, which is a National Historic Landmark.
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