News Release
| Release Number: | 99-037 |
| Dated: | 4/20/1999 |
| Contact: | Public Affairs Office, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. -- Today at about 9 a.m., an electrical fire started in Unit 5 at the original powerhouse at Bonneville Lock and Dam, 40 miles east of Portland, Ore., on the Columbia River. All personnel and contract personnel in the powerhouse were safely evacuated. The fire suppression system was activated and Corps personnel continue to monitor the situation.
While emergency equipment responded from Cascade Locks, it was not needed. The cause of the fire is not known at this time, but will be investigated when the smoke and fire suppressant materials have cleared out of the powerhouse.
Other generating units continued to operate. "The loss of unit 5 does not prevent us from using the rest of the units currently on line," said Debby Chenoweth, operations manager. "We're spilling for fish right now, and need to continue to meet the spill requirements and the generating demands. We should be able to do that without major problems."
Access to the Bradford Island Visitor Center is restricted for the next few hours to cars and small vehicles. Larger vehicles such as buses and RVs will not be able to go past the powerhouse while crews are placing taillogs in Unit 5.