Thousands of people lost power across Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon due to strong wind gusts, according to We Energies.
The outages hit as much of the state faced extreme heat, creating warm conditions for residents without air conditioning.
On Milwaukee’s south side, a downed branch on a neighbor's powerline knocked out power to hundreds of neighbors' homes for a few hours.
"I heard a loud sound and thought it was a dump truck,” Stella Benishek said. “But I heard it multiple times, then my stepmom came and said, ‘There are fireballs.’”
We Energies said that high winds Saturday caused tree limbs to fall into equipment, triggering the outages.
"You can really tell the difference inside the house today versus outside," Mateo Gomez said.
To help cool down without air conditioning, Gomez, Benishek, and their neighbors set up a slip-and-slide and turned on a sprinkler.
“We are seeing scattered outages across the area from high wind gusts knocking down limbs and trees into our equipment,” a spokesperson for We Energies said in a statement. “We have crews responding to all calls, and they are working as quickly and safely as possible to get power restored.”
Power outages also disrupted businesses. Several shops in a St. Francis strip mall closed and posted signs. Other business owners shared updates on social media that they were closed.
As of 10 p.m. on Saturday, 17,040 people were without power in Wisconsin. 13,156 of those customers are from Milwaukee County.
City and county officials urged people to stay safe by using cooling centers, including libraries, malls, pools, and senior centers. Health officials advised residents to:
- Limit outdoor activity during peak heat
- Drink water and avoid alcohol or caffeine
- Wear light, breathable clothing
- Use wet towels or take cool showers
- Never leave children or pets in vehicles
- Watch for heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke
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