Colorado Springs Utilities repairing electric vault on eastbound Constitution Avenue
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) says crews are working to repair an electric vault on eastbound Constitution Avenue, east of Payton Circle.
Neighbors tell us they heard a bang and a pop right around the time the power went out in the Constitution and Oak Place neighborhoods.
"About a quarter to seven, I heard a really loud bang, and I hopped up, and immediately the power went out at the exact same time. I assumed somebody hit a transformer," said Susan Tiona, who lives near the intersection of Payton and Constitution.
The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says that calls came in around 6:43 a.m. on Tuesday morning with reports of smoke in the area. CSPD says that pressure buildup dislodged a cover.
CSU can not confirm if this electrical vault dislodgement was the cause of the initial power outage today.
We heard from another neighbor who also heard something early this morning.
"I was still in bed, I heard a bump or a pop, and I thought something fell down and the power went out immediately," said Ralph Wessel.
Under the road is an electrical vault that feeds power to the neighborhood in place of overhead powerlines. Jane Zook from CSU tells us that one of the cable lines was faulty.
"So it carries a lot of voltage, and one of those cables faulted and ignited, and when that happens, we have toxic gases that are released, so the wires, the plastic casings that cover that equipment inside of the vault, created some toxic gases that then put pressure on the lid and caused the lid to dislodge," said Zook.
Colorado Springs Utilities says a situation like this is highly dangerous and should be treated like a downed power line.
We asked if they're worried about other situations like this in the future, potentially injuring drivers.
CSU says incidents like this are rare, and they do have sensors to help alert crews when something is about to happen.
"There are some warnings, and we have what are called reclosures all over town, and the way that we can isolate outages is because of these reclosures," said Zook.
Zook emphasized the importance of safety tips when it comes to situations like this.
"If you ever see a lid off of a vault cover, just presume always that it is energized, always assume any down line or an open vault or any type of electric structure is energized."
Zook tells us the lane near the intersection of Constitution and Payton Circle, just east of Murray Boulevard, will remain closed, possibly until 9 p.m. tonight, as crews fully repair this vault.
CSU asks that drivers use caution in the area.
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