During a day of powerful wind gusts that created threatening wildfire conditions near Boulder, Colorado, the state’s largest utility took the precaution of cutting power to 52,000 homes and businesses, including Frasier, an assisted living and skilled nursing facility.
Xcel Energy implemented this preemptive power shut-off in Colorado for the first time as a wildfire prevention measure. This practice, also known as public safety power shut-offs, has been adopted in California and is now spreading to other areas as a strategy to prevent wildfires ignited by downed power lines.
