Employees were evacuated after an explosion at the former Eastern Iowa Light and Power electrical co-op.
The explosion was reported just after 11:30 a.m. at the facility at 3800 Highway 22 in Muscatine County, Iowa.
Initial reports indicated the explosion may have happened in a boiler at the facility, but that was not yet confirmed. Initial reports also indicated no workers were hurt. Building evacuation was in progress when emergency crews were enroute.
Emergency dispatchers called the plant Eastern Iowa Power, but a spokesperson for that company said the plant now belongs to Central Iowa Power Cooperative which is based in Cedar Rapids.
The company’s website says they provide electricity to more than 320,000 customers in 58 counties in Iowa.
A spokesperson for the cooperative said there was not actually an explosion, but instead there was a large amount of steam released from a leaking tube in a boiler at the Fair Station power plant. The evacuation was precautionary as part of standard emergency procedures at the plant.
The spokesperson confirmed no one was hurt and employees returned to the plant shortly after they evacuated.
