Colorado Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff event update

🔺 Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m. MST – The elevated fire risk in our Colorado service territory for an Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) has ended, and power has been restored to approximately 90 impacted North Pueblo customers.   

In addition to allowing the power to be restored, weather conditions have improved to the point that we’ve cancelled today’s Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff warnings and watches for all affected Black Hills Energy Colorado electric customers.   
While conditions have improved and the PSPS warning has now been cancelled, we will continue to monitor conditions to help keep our customers and communities safe. 

We appreciate our customers’ patience as we worked to help keep our customers and communities safe.

🔺 Feb. 17, 1:45 p.m. MST – Hazardous wind gusts and low relative humidity are creating critical fire conditions today. To protect public safety, we’ve implemented an Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) for 90 customers located in a portion of North Pueblo because of the elevated wildfire risk. Power will be out in this area until conditions improve and it is safe to re-energize power lines serving these areas.  

 In Cripple Creek, Victor and Westcliffe, weather conditions have improved to the point that we’ve cancelled today’s Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) warning and watch for customers in this area.  

We’ll continue to keep impacted customers informed throughout this PSPS event through text messages, emails, and phone calls.  Areas currently impacted by today’s PSPS can be viewed at blackhillsenergy.com/outages.

🔺Feb. 17, 2026, 9 a.m. MST – Hazardous wind gusts and extremely dry conditions are creating very dangerous fire conditions today. To protect public safety, we've issued an Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff Warning to the following communities: isolated portions of Crowley County, Fremont County, Otero County and Pueblo County. The towns of Cripple Creek, Victor and Westcliffe remain in a PSPS Watch. These phases impact approximately 8,200 customers. 

Unless conditions change, we'll proactively de-energize power lines in the warning areas beginning at midday today. Customers in these areas are urged to prepare for the possibility of extended emergency power outages needed to protect public safety and prevent wildfire. The communities in the watch area are encouraged to remain prepared. 

🔺Feb. 16, 8:30 p.m. MST – We’ve expanded our Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Watch to include Victor and Westcliffe after reviewing quickly changing weather conditions. High-risk fire conditions are anticipated Tuesday, midday in the following communities: isolated portions of Crowley County, Fremont County, Otero County and Pueblo County and the towns of Cripple Creek, Victor and Westcliffe.

Customers in the PSPS watch areas are urged to prepare for the possibility of extended emergency power outages needed to protect public safety and prevent wildfire.

If conditions persist, we may need to temporarily shut off power to approximately 8,200 customers in these areas to mitigate the risk of electrical infrastructure becoming a source of wildfire ignition.

As a reminder, you can visit our outage map blackhillsenergy.com/outages to see whether your location is within the Watch area.

🔺Feb. 16, 7 p.m. MST – We’re continuing to monitor the high-fire risk weather conditions forecasted for Tuesday, Feb. 17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and remain in an Emergency PSPS Watch for isolated portions of Crowley County, Fremont County, Otero County, and Pueblo County, Colorado.

We recognize that shutting off power, even to reduce wildfire risks, has broad impacts. If an emergency power shutoff becomes likely, we’ll provide as much advance notice as possible by issuing a PSPS Warning through social media, email, text messages, phone calls and our website.

Please make sure your contact information is up to date so you can receive these notifications. As a reminder, you can add additional contacts to receive safety notifications in your online account.

For more steps to help you be prepared for power outages, visit blackhillsenergy.com/be-prepared.

🔺 Feb. 16, 12 p.m. MST – Due to high fire-risk conditions forecasted for Tuesday, Feb. 17, Black Hills Energy has issued an Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff Watch for isolated portions of Crowley County, Fremont County, Otero County and Pueblo County.

The PSPS Watch will be in effect starting today at 12 p.m. This means that if conditions persist, the company may need to temporarily shut off power to approximately 5,400 customers in these areas from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to mitigate the risk of electrical infrastructure becoming a source of wildfire ignition.  Customers under the PSPS Watch declaration are urged to prepare for the possibility of emergency power outages needed to protect public safety and prevent wildfire.

“The safety of our customers, employees and communities is our highest priority,” said Campbell Hawkins, vice president of Colorado Utilities. “Our Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff program, or PSPS, is a critical tool for wildfire prevention and used as a last-resort measure to protect lives and property and will only be activated in areas with elevated wildfire risk.” 

“We recognize that shutting off power, even to reduce wildfire risks, has broad impacts,” said Hawkins. “We will do our best to provide as much advance notice as possible if an emergency power shutoff is likely to occur, by issuing a PSPS Warning. If conditions suddenly become hazardous, power may need to be shut off with little or no notice.”  

We will notify impacted customers and communities using a variety of methods including text messages, emails and phone calls.  

How to stay informed

• Customers can view if they’re in an impacted area at blackhillsenergy.com/outages.
• We’ll continue to provide updates to this webpage, media outlets and social media. Customers are encouraged to make sure their contact information is up to date to receive phone calls, emails and text messages.

How you can prepare

• Visit blackhillsenergy.com/my-account to keep your contact information up to date, so we can provide safety notifications and direct you to our website for helpful tips and resources.
• Have a backup plan for medicine that needs to be refrigerated or medical equipment that is powered by electricity. This could mean finding a place to go during an outage or having a backup generator.  
• Build an emergency kit and plan and share with friends and neighbors.
• If you see downed powerlines, stay away and call 911.