ATCO says there was no explosion behind a series of overnight power outages in Lloydminster, despite multiple residents reporting hearing a loud blast.
The outages, reported around midnight, were instead caused by equipment issues linked to weather conditions, according to the utility.
ATCO disputes explosion reports
In a statement, ATCO said the outages were caused by equipment issues linked to weather conditions, not an explosion.
“To reiterate, there was not an actual ‘explosion.’ Rather, moisture coupled with surrounding environmental contaminants likely led to the power outage,” the company said.
ATCO said the issue involved protective equipment responding to interference. Which may have led to people hearing a loud noise.
“When there’s external interference, the arrester prevents further damage by safely diverting electricity to ground wires. This can lead to a very loud ‘bang’ that mimics the sound of an explosion or gunshot,” the company said.
Previously, the City of Lloydminster confirmed a transformer fire did occur, and that the incident was visible to nearby residents.
Lloydminster Fire Rescue responded, secured the area, and turned the scene over to ATCO crews.
No injuries have been reported.
Residents describe shaking, outages
Despite ATCO’s clarification, many residents said the noise felt like an explosion.
“It made the house shake and the power go out. Looked like a transformer going off,” said Natasha McCallum-Kinequon.
Others reported repeated outages across the city.
“My power keeps flickering,” one resident wrote.
“Power’s gone out three times here,” another added.
Some areas also experienced brief outages caused by protective systems activating during instability, ATCO said.
