Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Explosion at Chehalis power plant; no injuries reported

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.

The Associated Press (“AP”) is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from the AP. Founded in 1846, the AP today is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering. The AP considers itself to be the backbone of the world’s information system, serving thousands of daily newspaper, radio, television, and online customers with coverage in text, photos, graphics, audio and video.