SEE IT: Hoover Dam transformer bursts into flames

Victor I. Nava

July 20, 03:55 AM July 20, 03:58 AM

A transformer caught hearth at the foundation of Hoover Dam on Tuesday, but the incident did not disrupt electric power staying produced at the facility and no one particular was hurt.

The fire and apparent explosion at the base of the 726-foot-substantial hydroelectric electric power making facility was caught on video clip by tourists who shared footage on the blaze on social media. The hearth was extinguished close to 30 minutes right after the blast and posed no chance to the power grid, according to officials.

"At about 10 a.m. (PDT) the A5 transformer at Hoover Dam caught hearth and was extinguished by the Reclamation/Hoover fireplace brigade at roughly 10:30 a.m.," Jacklynn Gould, regional director for the Bureau of Reclamation, reported in a assertion.

"There are no injuries to visitors or staff. There is no risk to the electric power grid and electricity is even now becoming generated from the powerhouse. We are investigating the bring about of the hearth and will provide supplemental updates as they are available," Gould's statement concluded.

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Online video footage of the incident clearly show a fire and black billowing smoke rising from just one of the dam's transformers in the vicinity of exactly where the Colorado River flows into the dam.

Visitors browsing the facility found on the Arizona and Colorado border mentioned they heard an alarm seem and felt the floor rumble beneath them, according to the .

“A ton of black smoke just exploded in the air. It seemed practically like a mushroom and then a fire adopted,” William Herro, 13, of San Francisco, instructed the .

Hoover Dam commenced operating in 1935. The facility is regarded as a National Historic Landmark, and it supplies energy to 8 million persons in Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California. The enormous dam is operated and preserved by the Bureau of Reclamation.