About 85,000 people remained without power Thursday morning in Colorado, mostly in the Denver area.
Xcel Energy says it is making progress to restore power to those who lost service in Wednesday's blizzard but that some will remain without power into the weekend. It says it has hundreds of workers on the job.
The company reported that in the last 24 hours its crews restored power to some 360,000 customers around the state.
The power outages affected traffic lights in the Denver area. Warming shelters were set up for anyone without heat in their homes.
UPDATE: Working thru night, crews of 500+ have restored #power to 360k customers in 24 hours - 85k customers still out. For some, work continues on Friday & into weekend. TY for your understanding as we work safely & quickly to restore all. Shelter info @ https://t.co/RDJZvaIktq pic.twitter.com/Oswf9CNNit
— Xcel Energy Colorado (@XcelEnergyCO) March 14, 2019
Elena O'Bryan, a spokeswoman for the Colorado National Guard, said troops retrieved 75 people stranded in their cars during the storm, along with two dogs.
O'Bryan said 50 soldiers and airmen were part of the National Guard response to the storm, which was focused on four counties southeast of Denver. National Guard teams searched nearly 150 vehicles.
The total number of people rescued statewide is likely higher. O'Bryan said local law enforcement also ran separate rescue efforts for stranded drivers and passengers.
Highways and roads in the northeast part of the state, including parts of Interstates 25 and 70, remain closed because of persisting blizzard conditions. Colorado officials are urging people to stay home so crews can tow abandoned vehicles and clear ice and snow from the roads.
