This article will be updated as new information becomes available.
LPEA is closely monitoring the Rio Blanco Fire, burning approximately 12 miles south of Pagosa Springs near Eightmile Mesa. The fire was first reported on July 28 and is being managed by an incident management team alongside the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Forest Service.
We're in direct contact with fire officials as operations continue. If de-energizing power to any meters becomes necessary to support firefighting efforts or protect public safety, we will do so at their request. Re-energizing happens at the request of officials when it is safe to do so. This page will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available, so check back for the current status.
View current outages on our Outage Map.
Update on Wednesday, August 5, at 7:30 AM: At 8:33 PM yesterday, all meters were re-energized at the request of Emergency Management. We will continue to post updates here of any further de-energizations.
Update on Tuesday, August 4, at 8:00 AM: Emergency Management has requested this section of 38 meters to stay de-energized for safety. We do not currently have an estimated time for restoration, and we will continue to work with Emergency Management on the best and safest plan to re-energize.
Update on Monday, August 3, at 5:35 PM: At this time we have 38 meters out of power off County Road 335. This was requested by Emergency Management that is handling the Rio Blanco Fire and is the same section we have been de-energizing periodically since Thursday. We anticipate this section will be re-energized tomorrow morning, pending fire conditions.
Update on Monday, August 3, at 10:00 AM: As of 9:31 AM, the fire size is estimated at 1,114 acres. Over the weekend, the Fire Department requested 3 separate de-energizations of 38 meters off of County Road 335. These occurred Thursday evening, Saturday night, and Sunday night. All de-energizations and re-energizations happen remotely from our dispatch center. Members who are signed up for outage notifications receive automatic alerts when the power is out and when it is restored. LPEA will be present at the community meeting on Tuesday, August 4, at 6 PM at the Archuleta County Extension Office, 344 US 84 E., Pagosa Springs, CO 81147. LPEA will be present to answer any questions, and virtual streaming will be available on Facebook via the San Juan National Forest page.
For the latest fire updates, including containment, evacuation orders, and road closures, visit the Rio Blanco Fire Facebook page.
Questions? Call LPEA at (970) 247-5786 or email memberservices@lpea.coop.