Electrical fire shuts down one generator at Norris Dam

NORRIS, TENNESSEE - An electrical fire in a small switchgear room at Norris Dam prompted the shutdown of one of two 50-megawatt generators at the dam, and it will be offline for several days for repairs, TVA spokeswoman Nancy Mitchell said.

Firefighters from the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department used special carbon dioxide fire extinguishers and dry chemicals to extinguish the blaze, Capt. Josh Alley said.

Mitchell said TVA was alerted to the fire at the automated power plant at the dam about 6 a.m., and the generator was automatically shut down.

Mitchell described the blaze as an electrical arcing fire that started when wires got too hot.

She said the generator would be shut down for several days while repairs to the wiring in the switchgear room are made.

Mitchell said there would be no service interruption as a result of the outage. A 50-megawatt generator can supply enough electricity to power about 40,000 homes.