BROKEN BOW, Neb. – During Monday’s Broken Bow City Council meeting, City Administrator Dave Schmidt gave an update on the city’s power situation following the explosion and subsequent fire at the power plant on February 20.
Schmidt said that the problem that triggered a bad chain of events was a crankcase explosion in engine 5, which he confirmed with staff in the crowd to have been one of their more “reliable” engines. A valve cover then blew off of the engine and ended up causing an arc in the nearby electrical bus bar.
“Even the guys that were investigating it said ‘I hate using the words ‘freak accident’, but it fits here.’ It really was just a chain of unfortunate events that happened to fall in our lap,” said Schmidt.
Those that were without power for the longest amount of time are still receiving power through a temporary solution, which will be the case for some time. The power plant is completely shut down, and the city has no plans of attempting to power up or generate in the foreseeable future.
Schmidt sent out his appreciation to city crews, first responders, and multiple other groups of individuals that had a hand in responding to the event and also spreading information effectively. He thanked the residents of Broken Bow for being so understanding during the powerless 33 hour period.
