Tag: Aurora fire

DENVER — As high fire danger becomes a becomes a way of life during Colorado’s driest winter in decades, more homeowners are investing in backup power generators as extreme fire weather conditions threaten to disrupt power across the state.

Xcel Energy started using preemptive power shutoffs as a fire mitigation tool in March 2024. Since then, the company has conducted three more shutoffs between December 2025 and January 2026, affecting customers along the Front Range and northern Colorado. While neither Xcel nor CORE said they plan to shut off power in communities during this week’s weather event, homeowners are accepting the reality of future outages.

Tom Teynor, the owner of Bell Plumbing and Heating, said his company is seeing a dramatic surge in homeowners requesting generator installations because of the planned Xcel outages.

“We certainly support the safety for wildfires. I think consumers are starting to realize that backup generation or power storage is no longer a luxury, that it’s often a requirement,” said Teynor.

Jacob Curtis

He said before planned outages became more common, his company received about a dozen requests per year for generators. Now, he said, they’re fielding about seven requests per week.

“For a lot of people, it’s a safety issue, making sure that sump pump is working, not losing food, making sure medical equipment is operational,” said Teynor.

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The increased demand comes as Colorado faces an extremely dry winter with frequent red flag warnings and critical fire weather conditions. Aurora Fire Rescue (AFR) said it’s preparing for heightened risks by staffing extra wildland fire engines on Monday and Tuesday.

“To me, it feels like we are seeing more red flag warnings and more critical fire weather than what I’ve seen in my career here along the Front Range in the fire service,” said Eric Hurst, Public Information Officer for AFR.

Jacob Curtis

Xcel Energy said it plans to activate enhanced safety settings on powerlines across eastern Colorado over the next few days. The safety settings make lines more sensitive and automatically shut off power if something, like a tree branch, comes into contact with the line.

Hurst said windy conditions can lead to unplanned localized power outages. He said energy company crews will respond to calls about power outages, while fire crews may respond to emergencies that result from power outages.

“People who are reliant on home oxygen machines that are plugged into the wall if they’re not prepared with backup oxygen. A lot of times that can cause problems where people are needing assistance with that. Sometimes fire alarm activations or stalled elevators in buildings. Those are the types of things that we often see when the power is out,” said Hurst.

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Teynor said many of his customers often feel frustrated about spending money on back up power supplies as they feel compelled to find their own solutions to power outages.

“More and more people are working from home, and suddenly it becomes less optional to have power when you’re in that situation,” Teynor said.

To prepare for planned or unplanned outages this week, he recommends homeowners test sump pumps and backup batteries. He said people should make sure to fully charge phones, laptops, and medical devices. You can also freeze water bottles to help keep freezers cold longer and fill bathtubs with water to use for sanitation needs or flushing toilets during power outages.

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