A sudden power failure pulled the plug on Colorado's Vail Valley on Monday, cutting electricity to tens of thousands of homes and businesses along the busy Interstate 70 resort corridor. Communities from Vail and Avon west to Eagle and Gypsum went dark during a prime summer stretch, leaving long runs of the valley without power as utility crews worked into the evening to track down the problem and begin repairs.
According to The Denver Post, Holy Cross Energy's outage map showed roughly 27,000 customers without power along the I-70 corridor. The co-op described the incident as "transmission-related" and initially did not offer a time frame for when the lights might come back on. Reporters said Holy Cross Energy crews were coordinating with Xcel Energy to locate and repair the fault.
Where trackers show outages
Real-time monitoring painted a similar picture. The outage tracker PowerOutage.us logged roughly 26,000 Holy Cross Energy accounts offline across Eagle County and nearby areas as the event unfolded. Those third-party tallies, which pull data from utility feeds and public reports, showed widespread interruptions across the valley's mountain towns.
What officials say
In a customer alert reported by The Denver Post, Holy Cross Energy described the outage as "transmission-related" and said crews were not yet able to give an estimated restoration time. The co-op said its teams were working alongside Xcel Energy crews to isolate and repair the issue, and that customers should look for updates on the utility's status page.
How to check outages and stay safe
Customers are encouraged to consult Holy Cross Energy's outage map and sign up for text or email alerts on the co-op's website at Holy Cross Energy for the latest restoration estimates. If you see a downed power line or any hazardous situation, call 911 and report the outage to the utility. Avoid touching any downed wire and keep a safe distance until crews arrive.
Local context
According to Holy Cross Energy, the co-op serves more than 45,000 members across western Colorado, so a significant share of its customer base was affected by this transmission issue. The outage highlights how a single transmission fault can ripple across resort towns that depend on a relatively small number of high-capacity lines to bring power into the valley.
