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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Priest Rapids Dam explosion leaves 2 critical

Annette Cary Tri-City Herald (Kennewick)

Two of the workers burned by an electrical explosion Thursday at Priest Rapids Dam were in critical condition Friday in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Three other workers taken to Harborview are in satisfactory condition. All five are being treated for burns, according to the Grant Public Utility District. A sixth worker was treated at another hospital and was released.

All are plant electricians or operators. Their names were not released by Grant PUD, but the two workers in critical condition are in their 40s.

A support fund has been established at Granco Credit Union in Ephrata for the injured workers and their families. Grant PUD is covering lodging, transportation and meals for the families, and the support fund will be available to the injured workers and their families for additional help.

The explosion at about 4:15 p.m. Thursday was the result of the failure of electrical equipment, Grant PUD said Friday. A breaker for one of the 10 generators at the dam malfunctioned, said PUD spokesman Chuck Allen.

The breaker serves as the on and off switch for the generator.

“When the switch malfunctioned, a large amount of electrical energy was released,” Allen said. The injured workers were nearby.

The cause of the malfunction was not known Friday.

The dam near Desert Aire on the Columbia River upstream from Hanford remained in stable operating condition. There are no public safety issues, including no downstream flooding, according to the Grant PUD.

The other nine generators at the Priest Rapids Dam and the generators at Grant PUD’s second hydroelectric dam, Wanapum, continue to operate. The generating unit where the explosion happened will not be put back into service until the cause is known and the PUD knows how to prevent it, Allen said.

“This is a difficult day for everyone here at Grant PUD. We are all concerned for our co-workers who were injured yesterday and are doing everything we can to show them our support in this difficult time,” said PUD acting manager Kevin Nordt, in a statement.

“Our primary focus will continue to be taking care of our people,” he said. Grant PUD employs about 700 people.

“This affected each one of us,” Allen said.

Investigators from Washington State Labor and Industries were at the dam Friday to evaluate events leading up to and causing the incident. Results of the investigation will likely take weeks, according to Grant PUD. It also is conducting its own investigation.

Kyle Foreman, a spokesman with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, said his agency will not be investigating because “there’s no indication of criminal wrongdoing or terrorism.”

A power outage was reported after the explosion, which affected some cell towers. U.S. Cellular customers lost phone service in the town of Mattawa, Grant County Emergency Dispatch reported. Service was restored by Friday morning.

The generating unit is capable of producing enough electricity to power the equivalent of 40,000 homes. Both Grant PUD dams at peak operating capacity can produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 800,000 homes.

The dams provide electricity for 46,000 customers in Grant County and provide electricity for 23 Northwest utilities.

Power generation began at Priest Rapids Dam 56 years ago. Wanapum Dam is seven years newer, but its power production was reduced for a time after a crack was discovered in one spillway in 2014. The PUD spent most of last year repairing the crack.

People interested in making a donation to help injured workers and their families should send it to Granco Credit Union, P.O. Box 127, Ephrata, Wash., 98823. Donation should be marked “Priest Rapids Family Fund.”

The Associated Press and the Wenatchee World contributed to this report.