Explosion at Google facility burns three people: reports

A Google data center in Iowa was rocked by an electrical explosion on Monday, leaving three people in critical condition with serious burns, according to reports. 

Three electricians were working on a substation near the buildings at the data center on Monday when they were hit with an electrical explosion — also known as an arc flash — the Council Bluffs, Iowa police department told SFGATE.

First responders were then dispatched to the data center at 11:59 a.m. in response to reports of an “electrical incident,” Council Bluffs fire department assistant chief Jim Wood told the Omaha World-Herald. 

“It was definitely some sort of electrical issue,” Wood said. 

Two burn victims were taken to a local hospital via ambulance, while one had to be evacuated in a helicopter, according to the report. Wood told the newspaper that all three victims were awake and able to speak. 

Google said in a statement to SFGATE: “We are aware of an electrical incident that took place today at Google’s data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, injuring three people onsite who are now being treated.” 

Tens of thousands of Google users reported issues with Google search, Gmail, maps and other features on Monday evening, according to Downdetector and social media posts. 

However, Google blamed the outages on a software update — not the Iowa data center incident. 

Google and the Council Bluffs Fire Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Post.