Fire in power plant mostly smoke

A fire that scrambled area fire departments to the Third Powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam last week started in an air filter.

It put out a lot of smoke, but, unlike fires in other power plants at the dam last year, didn’t affect power production.

A contractor working on the overhaul of of G-24, one of six massive generators in the power plant, had been sand blasting the interior of the generator’s shaft, according to Public Affairs Officer Lynne Brougher. In that process, a dust collector separates air from dust, which it deposits in a barrel. That barrel caught on fire and caused a lot of smoke in the cavernous Third Powerhouse.

“Everything was pretty contained,” Brougher said.

Brougher said four generators remained operational, while two were already undergoing maintenance.

Only essential personnel were working Monday as the Bureau of Reclamation awaited the results of smoke residue tests.