HEATING UP

13,000 Without Power in Wisconsin After Explosion, Fires

The explosion caused a fire to break out at Madison Gas and Electric’s main power center.

Around 13,000 people were left without power in Wisconsin on Friday morning following a transmission explosion at a power center in downtown Madison. A fire broke out at Madison Gas and Electric’s main power center and was put out by 9 a.m. CDT, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. No injuries have been reported. Kaya Freiman, corporate communications manager at MGE, told the Journal that the center contained MGE equipment and American Transmission Company equipment. A second fire also broke out at a nearby substation, but it has not been determined yet if the two are related. Police shut down roads within a two-block radius of both fire sites, with a dispatcher saying the incident is “affecting everyone in the area.” Traffic lights were out across downtown Madison, and police officers were directing traffic in their place. Zane Geyer, a construction worker at a nearby building, told the Journal the first explosion was “huge.” “Flames went about 150 feet into the air,” Geyer said. As of 9:15 a.m. CDT, 11,600 people in the area were still without power.