MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers declared a State of Emergency and the closing of state buildings Friday following fires at two Madison Gas & Electric substations.
The declaration is to provide state support during the large power outage that is exacerbated by the extreme heat wave affecting the area, according to the release.
At 7:40 a.m. this morning, Madison Fire responded to a fire at the MG&E substation off Livingston and E. Washington Drive in downtown Madison. MG&E Staff said that there was an explosion.
Large billows of black smoke could be seen for miles in Madison.
There was a second fire at the East Campus MG&E substation affecting American Transmission Equipment.
MG&E cut power to about 6,000 customers in the city. As of 1:30 p.m., MG&E's outage map shows power is still out for those customers.
MG&E put out a release stating the fire was caused by mechanical issues, rather than the excessive heat.
