A fire erupted at the Central Iowa Power Cooperative generating station north of Creston this (Wednesday) morning. Customers in the Creston area lost electric service temporarily. No one was injured and the fire was quickly contained by fire fighters from Creston, Afton and Orient.
Utility officials switched to alternative sources of power to serve the customers in Creston. Investigators say the fire was caused by an explosion in underground ductwork laid for a high-voltage cable. There’s considerable damage to switchgear, ductwork and the station’s cable network.
Power-generating turbines at the site were not damaged by the fire but have been shut down until the cause of the explosion’s known.