On Saturday, June 20, 2026, Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) quickly restored power after a utility contractor accidentally brought down a primary power line in Lake City.
At approximately 5:50 p.m., a local utility contractor was emptying a dump truck and pulling forward near 919 N. Hotchkiss Street in the Ball Flats area when the vehicle inadvertently snagged a telephone line. The telephone line broke the power pole at ground level when it was being pulled. This caused a single-phase 14,400-volt primary electric line to fall to the ground and opened the protection device in the Ball Flats.
The incident resulted in an outage affecting 104 GCEA members.
GCEA lineworkers Logan Rhodes and Wyatt Miller responded immediately, with additional support from a Gunnison-based crew including Dustin Cadwell, Ty Percival, and Kevin Purkat. Crews quickly implemented switching operations and restored service by transferring affected members to an alternate power feed.
Power was restored to all impacted members at approximately 6:52 p.m.
“GCEA appreciates the swift response of our crews and the patience of our members during this outage,” said CEO Mike McBride. “The safety and reliability of our electric system remain our top priorities, and we are grateful that no injuries were reported.”
Members are reminded to stay clear of any downed power lines and immediately report electrical hazards to GCEA or local emergency responders.