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Sheriff: 5 injured in Priest Rapids Dam explosion

Tom Stredwick with the Grant County PUD said the hydroelectric plant is stable and functioning and has no structural damage.

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Investigators are on scene at the Priest Rapids Dam in Grant County after an explosion happened Thursday afternoon. The cause of the explosion is unknown but may have been due to an electrical malfunction.

The injured were being transported to hospitals via an ambulance or an aircraft with various level of injuries. Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg says the Seattle hospital is expecting two people from the explosion to arrive there for treatment.

The explosion has not affected the stability of the dam, the Grant County Sheriff’s office said, according to NBC, adding that it was in no danger of failing.

A few residents in the rural, largely agricultural area were without electrical power Thursday evening and cellphone service related to the blast, Stredwick said.

Multiple agencies responded to the emergency, including the Hanford Fire Department.

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The dam is south of I-90, about 20 miles from Vantage.

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