GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLO., August 14, 2020 — In response to the Stage 2 Fire Restrictions now in place throughout the Holy Cross Energy (HCE) service territory, HCE has enabled fire protection settings throughout the system. These settings decrease the risk of HCE’s electric infrastructure starting or contributing to a wildfire, but also increase the possibility of HCE members experiencing system blinks or outages unrelated to the Grizzly Creek Fire.
HCE members are encouraged to download the SmartHub app on their mobile devices to be alerted via text or email when an outage occurs. Members may also view HCE’s Outage Map on our website to see if their residence or business is affected by an outage.
When an outage occurs, HCE’s line crews and system operators will work to safely restore electric service as soon as possible. HCE appreciates members’ understanding during this time of heightened fire risk.
“This action will help further reduce – but not eliminate – the risk of a new fire being started by our electric system,” says Bryan Hannegan, HCE’s President and CEO. “Given the dry, windy conditions in our area and the focus of our firefighting community on the Grizzly Creek Fire, we felt it prudent to move to our fire protection settings 24/7 even though our members may see more service disruption as a result.”
Following the Lake Christine Fire in 2018, HCE invested in additional fire mitigation and system resilience efforts across the HCE service territory, stretching across the I-70 corridor from Vail to Parachute and up the Roaring Fork and Crystal River Valleys from Glenwood Springs to Aspen and Carbondale to Marble.
For more information on HCE’s wildfire mitigation plan, please visit holycross.com/grid-resiliency/.