During an overnight electrical emergency, get everyone to safety first and call 911 if there is smoke, fire or an injury. After that, report utility hazards to your power company and contact an electrician for problems inside the home.
Acting calmly and in the right order can keep a bad situation from getting worse.
Step One: Protect People First
If you see smoke or flames, or smell strong burning, wake everyone and leave the home. Call 911 from outside. Do not go back in for belongings.
If someone has received an electrical shock and is still in contact with the source, do not touch them. Call 911 right away. Only switch off the power if you can do so without touching the person or the source.
Do not use water on an electrical fire. Do not try to fight the fire yourself.
Step Two: Decide Who to Call
Some overnight emergencies involve the utility. A downed power line, a damaged line to the house or sparking at the meter should be reported to the utility. In Denver, that is usually Xcel Energy.
Stay far away and assume any downed line is live. Call 911 if it is a danger to people.
If the problem is inside your home, such as a sparking outlet, a hot panel or a burning smell, an electrician is the right call once everyone is safe.
If the whole neighborhood is dark, the outage is likely on the utility side. Report it to the utility rather than trying to fix anything inside your home.
Step Three: Make the Home Safer
If there is no fire and the panel is safe to reach, you can switch off the breaker for the affected circuit. Stay away from the panel if it is hot, wet, buzzing loudly or smoking.
Unplug devices near the problem area if you can do so safely. Keep children and pets away. Use flashlights rather than candles.
Do not touch damaged wires, open electrical boxes or try to repair anything yourself. If you use a portable generator during an outage, run it outdoors and never plug it into a wall outlet.
Step Four: Share Clear Information
When you contact an electrician, describe what happened, what you saw or smelled and what you have already done. Mention whether power is out to the whole home or only part of it.
Note any damage you can see from a safe distance. This helps the electrician understand the problem and plan the visit.
Overnight problems are stressful, but you do not have to sort them out alone. Our 24 hour electrician in Denver service handles urgent electrical problems that cannot wait until morning.
If you are dealing with a loss of power, our power outage troubleshooting page can also help. Contact us when you are safe, and we can talk through the next step.