UPDATED: Power restored in St. George after transformer blows and sparks fire

ST. GEORGE —A power equipment malfunction ignited a fire at the substation near the Dixie Red Hills Golf Course on Sunday. This resulted in power outages in parts of downtown St. George, as well as parts of Bluff Street and Sunset Boulevard.

Fire at a power substation near Dixie Red Hills Golf Course sparked a fire and widespread power outages Sunday afternoon, St. George, Utah, May 30, 2021 | Photo by Shane Brinkerhoff, St. George News

After a power outage that kept parts of the area dark for more than an hour and a half, power was fully restored at 6:35 p.m., according to St. George Energy Services.

Firefighters and law enforcement were sent to the area of 645 W. 1250 North near the Elks Lodge to combat the fire and contain the general area, St. George Police Lt. Jared Parry said at the scene.

While it was initially reported that a transformer had blown at the substation, Parry said he was unable to confirm if that was the cause. However, an equipment malfunction of some sort is believed to have be responsible for the fire, he said.

Simultaneously, several areas of St. George and Santa Clara either saw their power go out for a few seconds and turn back or remain off.

The Elks Lodge and immediate area were also evacuated and 1250 North was blocked to traffic by police so firefighters could focus on knocking down the fire.

On Bluff Street, traffic lights were out as of 5:20 p.m. from West 100 North to Snow Canyon Parkway. As of 5:30 p.m., power remained out in portions of northern St. George and eastern Santa Clara.

Inside the Sinclair Gas Station at 400 North and Bluff Street, there was darkness inside without the lights on as of 6:15 p.m., and all of the beverage freezers in the back out. They could only accept cash as without power they could not accept card payments, and without the ability to scan prices, a worker was going out to check the price of each item and relay it back to the cashier.

“This is kind of a pain,” said the cashier at the store, who didn’t identify himself and said they could go another hour with the fridges and freezers down before their perishable items may go to waste.

Sign outside of the door at Handel’s Ice Cream in St. George, Utah, after a power outage on May 30, 2021 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Across the street, the 3 Amigos Market closed its doors entirely as its normally vibrant electric sign outside and that of the University Federal Credit Union next door remained dark. The same was the case for Handel’s Ice Cream nearby, though they reopened after the power came back on.

At the site of the fire itself, calls went out to multiple agencies as the fire burned an acre, and St. George Police were blocking streets and also branching out to provide traffic control at the sites of traffic lights that are out.

The appeared to be largely knocked down by 5:45 p.m., which power coming back online for impacted area after 6:30 p.m.

St. George News Assistant Editor/reporter Chris Reed contributed to this article.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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