Power line failure sparks grass fires and Niwot power outage

Mountain View Fire Rescue crews responded to a series of small grass fires along the Diagonal Highway near Pebble Court in Niwot on Sunday, March 9, after downed power lines sparked blazes that threatened to spread in the area.

Just after 1:30 p.m. on March 9, firefighters arrived at the scene where above-ground power lines had fallen and began creating electrical sparks, igniting a small fire that quickly grew to approximately 20 feet by 100 feet along a drainage ditch. While crews were working to contain the initial blaze, an additional power spark nearby ignited a second fire in a residential backyard.

According to Mountain View's Facebook post, teams worked quickly to contain both fires before they could spread to nearby structures, noting that the quick response from multiple units was crucial in preventing what could have been a much larger incident.

Four units from Mountain View Fire Rescue responded to the scene, including Brush 204, Engine 202, Engine 21, and Battalion 201, with additional support from Boulder Rural Fire Protection's Interface 323. The collaborative effort successfully limited the fire to approximately 2 acres, with no damage to structures reported.

Power was cut to the entire Niwot area north of Niwot Road during the emergency response and remained off until about 2:00 a.m. Monday, March 10, while Xcel Energy crews completed repairs to the damaged lines and restored service to affected residents. One resident reported receiving text messages from Xcel Energy throughout the day and evening, first estimating that power would be restored at 2:45 p.m., then 4:30 p.m., followed by similar messages at 6:45 p.m., 8:15 p.m., 10:45 p.m., and finally a message at 7:15 a.m. the following day that power had been restored.

Boulder County Dispatch initially received reports of the incident shortly after noon on Sunday.

Authorities remind residents to immediately report any downed power lines and to maintain a safe distance from any fallen electrical infrastructure.