A fire and explosion rocked Nevada’s iconic Hoover Dam Tuesday morning. Bystander Kristy Hairston tweeted a video at 1.11pm, saying she was “touring the Hoover Dam” when she “heard an explosion”. “Oh my god, something just blew up,” a witness can be heard saying in the video. Boulder City, Nevada, officials said the dam fire has been extinguished. The US Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees the dam, said Tuesday that a transformer burned, but that fire crews were able to extinguish the fire without incident. No one was injured in the explosion, according to the agency, and the power grid is still working. The iconic dam, completed in 1935, provides hydroelectric power that serves millions of people in Nevada, Arizona and California.
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Lake Mead water levels at record lows
The Hoover Dam was built to impound Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US. But that vast reservoir has now shrunk to record lows amid a historic drought in the western US fueled by the climate crisis. Lake Mead was 1,041 feet above sea level Tuesday, having dropped about 25 feet since early 2021, according to the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the operations. At just 27 percent of its capacity, this low water level has left a distinctive “bathtub ring” of white mineral around the shore. By early Tuesday afternoon, the temperature at Hoover Dam was 106F. Recent images have shown just how severe the effects of the drought have been on Lake Mead. The low water levels revealed for the first time the original intake valves for the city of Las Vegas’ water supply. A Second World War plane has also emerged from the rapidly shrinking depths, a speedboat stuck vertically to the bottom of the lake – and the body of a 1980s murder victim in an oil drum. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by The Bureau of Reclamation.
Human remains on barrel surfaces due to drought conditions in Lake Mead
“I would say there’s a very good chance as the water level drops we’ll find additional human remains,” Las Vegas Police Lt. Ray Spencer said. Josh Marcus July 19, 2022 10:30 pm 1658265026
The Hoover Dam fires hit an already fragile power business
The Hoover Dam fire could not have come at a worse time. As reporter Alexander Kaufman notes, the hydroelectric plant connected to the dam has already struggled to generate power as water levels in Lake Mead hit record lows. As Louise Boyle reported, experts believe the dam could stop generating electricity altogether due to the extreme drought in the West in the coming years.
Lake Powell has a 1 in 3 risk of hydropower outages in 2023 due to ‘extreme drought’
The Colorado River provides water to 40 million people in the western United States Josh Marcus July 19, 2022 10:10 p.m 1658263826
Horrifying photos of Lake Mead show just how bad the drought has gotten
The Hoover Dam fire is just the latest shocking news to bring attention to the region’s massive hydro projects. Drought caused by the climate crisis affecting much of the American West has caused water lines to drop in Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, which was created when Hoover Dam was built on the Colorado River. Ethan Freedman has this look at what’s happening in Lake Mead.
Horrifying photos of Lake Mead show just how bad the drought has gotten
Dead fish, washed-up boats and dried-up seabeds are all consequences of climate-fueled drought Josh Marcus July 19, 2022 9:50 pm 1658262626
PHOTOS: Fire crews battle flames at Hoover Dam
Officials released photos of fire crews battling the Hoover Dam fire. According to the US Bureau of Recovery, a transformer caught fire on Tuesday morning. Pictures show firefighters, as well as an automatic sprinkler system, working to contain the blaze, which was extinguished shortly after it started. Firefighters spray water on a burning transformer at Hoover Dam on July 19, 2022. (Office of Rehabilitation) (Office of Rehabilitation) Josh Marcus July 19, 2022 9:30 pm 1658261426
Not this kind of Transformer fire…
Officials said a transformer caught fire at Hoover Dam Tuesday morning. This one has some internet jokes with scenes from the Transformers movie franchise, where the iconic barrier hides a research frenzy for giant fighting robots. Josh Marcus July 19, 2022 9:10 pm 1658260226
Proposal considering ‘climate emergency declaration’
While it is not yet clear what caused the Hoover Dam fire on Tuesday morning, many areas of the western US and beyond are being hit by wildfires due to the climate crisis. That reportedly has Joe Biden considering whether to declare a climate emergency and tap federal resources to deal with the crisis. Gustaf Kilander, Ethan Freedman and Louise Boyle consider what such a statement could mean for the planet.
Biden ‘Considering Declaring Climate Emergency’ – But Timeframe Remains Unclear
As president, Mr. Biden has the power to invoke a state of emergency and create an alternative path to reducing global warming emissions and producing more clean energy without input from Congress Josh Marcus July 19, 2022 8:50 pm 1658259026
Texas congressional candidate calls Hoover Dam a ‘climate emergency’
Russell Foster, a Texan running for a seat in the US Congress, says today’s Hoover Dam fire is the latest sign of the climate crisis. Authorities are still investigating what caused a fire at a transformer at the dam, but the incident came as many parts of the world struggled with climate-causing heat waves. “Texas and the American West are burning. Hoover Dam just had a blast,” Mr Russell wrote on social media on Tuesday. “Heatwaves across the Northern Hemisphere this week. London is burning. It’s not going to get better around the world until we deal with our climate emergency. We can’t cope, we have to fix this problem.” Here are some of our reports on the recent heat.
Heatwaves are getting worse – what role is climate change playing?
About 90 percent of the heat is absorbed by the ocean Josh Marcus July 19, 2022 8:30 pm 1658257826
What is the role of the Hoover Dam?
The Hoover Dam is one of the most famous civil engineering projects in the United States and is a major tourist attraction as well as a key source of energy for much of the West. The dam created and impounds Lake Mead, which when full in drought-free years is the largest reservoir in the US, and its generators provide power to public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona and California. Each year the dam produces 4.5 billion kilowatt hours of hydroelectric power for use in the three states, enough to serve about 8 million people in the region. The Bureau of Reclamation says that during peak power periods, enough water flows through the generators to fill 15 medium-sized swimming pools – 20,000 gallons each – in one second. Graeme Massie has the details.
What is the role of the Hoover Dam?
The facility provides enough power for 8 million people in Nevada, Arizona and California Josh Marcus July 19, 2022 8:10 pm 1658256652
Bystander says bridge over Hoover Dam ‘shakes’ after explosion
TikTok user @iris_jaded says she captured another perspective on this morning’s fire and explosion at the Hoover Dam. “We saw it explode. It was too big,” he says in the clip. “The bridge we stand on now is shaking.” In the video, an alarm sounds in the background. Josh Marcus July 19, 2022 7:50 pm 1658255626
Power grid still operating after transformer fire at Hoover Dam: US Bureau of Reclamation
The US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), the federal infrastructure agency that oversees Hoover Dam, announced what caused the fire and explosion at the iconic hydroelectric plant Tuesday morning. “In about. At 10 a.m. PDT, transformer A5 at Hoover Dam caught fire and was shut down by [the USBR]/Hoover Fire Department at approx. 10:30 am PDT. No injuries to visitors/employees. There is no risk to the power grid. Power is still being produced by the power plant,” the agency wrote in a statement on Twitter. “We are investigating the cause of the fire and will provide additional updates as they become available,” he added. Josh Marcus July 19, 2022 7:33 pm
