DENVER – Xcel Energy said Tuesday afternoon more than 10,000 customers have now had their pilot lights relit of the 13,000 who have experienced outages since gas was shut off because of the Marshall Fire on Thursday.
The jump to having 10,000 customers’ gas service restored and pilot lights relit comes after the company said 6,000 customers had their service restored as of Monday evening.
Xcel said for the remaining 3,000 customers, crews would be working directly with them to relight pilot lights once evacuation orders are lifted.
If people aren’t in evacuation zones and need their pilot lights relit, they can call 1-800-895-2999, the company said.
Someone age 18 or older will need to be home for crews to relight pilot lights, and the company is asking customers to have their water service turned on so the water heater can be lit along with the furnace.
“The road to recovery for these communities will be long, with the devastation affecting so many homes and lives,” Alice Jackson, the president of Xcel Energy Colorado, said in a statement. “For those able to return to their homes, crews have made significant progress to ensure they have the power and heat they need, and I want to thank the entire community for your patience and all the ways you’ve supported our crews in the field.”
Xcel said it will continue to work on the natural gas system in southern Boulder County even after service is restored to all customers that have their infrastructure intact.
The company said Monday it hoped to have gas service restored to all customers who could receive it by the end of the day Tuesday. Nearly all electricity was restored by Monday evening.
