Max Reinhart – The Detroit News
(TNS)
A fire involving an oil spill at a Consumer Energy power plant Monday afternoon will not result in loss of power for customers, the company said.
A fire, stemming from an electric transformer, started just after 1 p.m. Monday at the Karn Generating Station, near Bay City, said Tracy C. Wimmer, a Consumers Energy spokesperson. Wimmer said the fire began in equipment located “outside the facilities,” but spread to a nearby building, creating a “significant amount of smoke, visible to the public.”
“All personnel were evacuated from the plant and are safe,” Wimmer said in an emailed statement, “and we are cooperating with all fire departments involved as they battle the blaze.”
Wimmer said there was a mineral oil spill during the fire, but it didn’t pose a risk to the public or the crews on scene.
The plant is located at 2742 Weadock Highway in Hampton Charter Township in Bay County. The township’s fire department did not return a message seeking additional information.
The fire was extinguished by 6:30 p.m., Wimmer said. An employee at the nearby City of Essexville Department of Public Safety said firefighters were still on scene at 7 p.m.
In 2023, Consumers Energy closed its Karn 1 and 2 coal-fired units at the generating station as part of the company’s transition away from coal and toward renewable energy. The Karn 3 and 4 units remain in use, powered by natural gas and oil, through 2031.
“As Karn 3 & 4 primarily serve to provide backup power to the grid at peak times, at this time there is no risk of those in the vicinity losing power due to this event,” Wimmer said.
Consumers has not provided additional information, including what initially caused the fire or what time it began.
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