Steam release at Fremont power plant mistaken for explosion, officials say

FREMONT, Neb. (WOWT) — Fremont utility crews have been working to restore power — and combat the rumor mill — after many there were hit by outages amid Wednesday’s blizzard.

In an update posted at 6:35 p.m. Thursday, the city noted that progress had been made in power restoration efforts, expressing confidence that the power would stay on once it was restored. About 24 hours earlier, they had advised that most of the city was without power.

The city was also working to squash rumors about an explosion at its power plant.

“We have received rumors claiming that the power plant exploded. This is false,” the city said in a release Thursday afternoon. “The power plant did release steam due to a combination of factors, which is a normal response to steam pressure.”

Officials also noted that emergency crews had been dispatched to the power plant, but that it was for an individual crew member experiencing “issues unrelated to the plant.”

Fremont officials said that electrical facilities have been dealing with disruptions as the ice melts.

Additionally, some Omaha Public Power District crews are being dispatched to assist with outages in the Fremont area. OPPD also has customers in Dodge County; about 3,200 of them were still without power as of about 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Dodge County Board of Supervisors declared an emergency on Thursday morning. Fremont Police were also advising early on Thursday that stoplights at several main intersections were out, reminding drivers to treat any such intersection as a four-way stop.

The blizzard pulled about 50 utility poles down in Fremont, according to an update posted just before 6 p.m. Wednesday.

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