ROGERSVILLE (WATE) - Emergency crews were working to extinguish a transformer fire at a TVA plant that has left thousands temporarily without power Friday night.
According to officials from the Holston Electric Cooperative, two separate incidents at the John Sevier Fossil Plant caused power outages in Rogersville and numerous surrounding communities.
Officials believe the incidents were caused, in part, by the extreme temperatures Friday.
"The extreme heat and enormous demand on the TVA system is suspected to have led to the outage events," Holston Electric Cooperative officials said.
The first incident occurred around 6 p.m. Friday evening. According to the release, an unidentified event occurred near the plant's third and fourth units. More than 11,000 customers were left without power. However, some quick rerouting restored power in about five minutes.
The second event happened about an hour and a half later. A transformer exploded near the same units, leaking insulating oil in the surrounding area. The oil caught on fire and three local fire departments were dispatched to the plant. Crews were able to extinguish the oil fires and contain the burning transformer.
Late Friday night, plant crews were still working to extinguish the rest of the fire, while local fire departments remain on stand-by outside of the plant.
No injuries have been reported.
