Gov. Evers declares state of emergency as thousands in Madison lose power after explosion, fires at substations

MADISON - Black smoke filled the sky over Madison's isthmus and knocked out power across downtown after an explosion and fires broke out at two Madison Gas and Electric power stations Friday morning. 

By the afternoon, Gov. Tony Evers had declared a state of emergency both in Madison and Dane County and authorized the National Guard to assist as needed. 

As of about 5:20 p.m., MG&E said all but 34 customers had power restored, down from about 12,000 earlier in the day, on what was likely to be the hottest day of the year. 

MG&E president and CEO Jeff Keebler said a mechanical issue likely caused the first and larger fire in a substation across the street from a generating plant just off East Washington Avenue — a main thoroughfare on Madison's isthmus.

“We don’t know whether the fire caused the explosion or the explosion caused the fire," Keebler said at a news conference.

The cause of the second fire at a substation not owned by MG&E near the University of Wisconsin-Madison's campus is unknown.

Keebler said the company was conducting a damage assessment. Company officials said their first focus was restoring power. MG&E is working to determine an exact cause.

Keebler said MG&E officials had no reason to believe the cause of the fires were due to customers using air conditioners more than on cooler days. 

With temperatures in the 90s and a heat index above 100 (what the temperature feels like with humidity factored in), cooling centers were open across the city, including at the UW-Madison's Kohl Center. The Veterans Memorial Coliseum will remain open overnight as a cooling center, and buses will run to the location.  

Excessive heat is of particular concern at two assisted living facilities for senior citizens in downtown Madison.

Lisa Olsen, program and events manager at the Capitol Lakes Retirement Center, said the building had backup generators it is using for health services.

"People are running around like crazy trying to help everyone who needs it right now," Olsen said. "We have staff checking on independent-living residents."

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway told residents to treat intersections like four-way stops when traffic lights are out. She urged people to drink water and stay up to date by following news outlets and checking www.cityofmadison.com/poweroutage.

“You’ve got to stay cool, you've got to stay hydrated and you’ve got to stay connected," she said.

One of UW Health's urgent care centers on Madison's east side was closed because of the power outage, according to UW Health spokeswoman Toni Morrissey. 

Dane County relocated its 911 center because of the outage, but no 911 calls were missed, according to county officials.

The power outages prompted Evers to close state offices and the Capitol. The city and Dane County closed many of their offices.

State government websites, including for the court filing system and the Department of Motor Vehicles, were down. 

The largest fire and explosion occurred at the substation at 702 E. Main St., near East Washington Avenue. The substation is co-owned by MG&E and American Transmission Co., Keebler said.

The second fire was at a substation owned by ATC near UW-Madison's Ogg Hall. It was put out quickly. 

UW-Madison spokeswoman Meredith McGlone said the fire did not affect campus buildings and power remained on throughout Friday. 

Madison Fire Chief Steven Davis said 40 firefighters were sent to the downtown substation about 7:40 a.m. It took 15 to 20 minutes to "de-energize" the substation and after that the fires were put out in five to seven minutes using foam, he said.

Firefighters are investigating the cause in conjunction with MG&E, he said.

Keith Schubert, Lawrence Andrea and Joe Taschler of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.