What We Know About The Hoover Dam Transformer Explosion

The transformer fire at the Hoover Dam began around 10 a.m., according to Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director Jacklynn L. Gould (via Las Vegas news outlet KVVU). The transformer that exploded was located near the bottom of the dam.

As further reporting from the Los Angeles Times explains, several witnesses posted videos of the smoke and fire on Twitter. In footage that @kristynashville posted, a voice can be heard saying (via the Los Angeles Times), “My goodness, something has just blown up.” A fire brigade run by the USBR responded to the call for help.

Construction on the Hoover Dam was complete by 1935 (via History). Some 21,000 men worked on the Depression-era project, as the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) notes on their website. The Hoover Dam is located on the border of Arizona and Nevada. The dam was built in part to help create Lake Mead with water from the Colorado River, which often flooded, and as a source of water for the ballooning desert southwest population (via USBR).

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