A blast and fire at a natural-gas fired power plant in Chehalis was caused by a transformer explosion. No one was injured, according to a plant spokeswoman.
Jan Mitchell says the PacifiCorp-owned facility’s damage is limited to a large transformer on the edge of the property.
The fire did not involve the plant itself or natural gas.
The plant was not operating at the time of the explosion at 4:15 a.m. Thursday, says Mitchell.
KITI Radio reported that flames were visible from nearby Interstate-5 as firefighters from four departments responded.
The 520-megawatt plant opened in 2003 and was bought by PacifiCorp in 2008. It's capable of generating enough electricity for 390,000 homes.