Yes — Done Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric provides emergency electrical service in the Denver and Front Range area. Electrical emergencies are among the most serious home situations a homeowner can face, and they aren’t something to wait on. If you’re dealing with burning smells, sparking outlets, a panel that won’t reset, exposed wiring, or any electrical situation that feels unsafe, call immediately — the risk of fire or injury from an active electrical problem makes it a true emergency.

What Qualifies as an Electrical Emergency

Not every electrical problem needs an emergency call, but these situations do:

  • Burning or melting smell from an outlet, switch, or the electrical panel — this suggests arcing or overheating inside the wiring, which is a fire risk
  • Sparking from an outlet, switch, or appliance connection — especially if sparks are visible inside the box or persist after the device is unplugged
  • Breaker that trips immediately on reset and won’t stay on — this can indicate a short circuit, wiring fault, or overloaded circuit that needs diagnosis before the circuit is used
  • Complete loss of power to part or all of the home that isn’t explained by a utility outage
  • Flickering or dimming lights across the home — can indicate a loose neutral at the panel or utility connection, which is a serious situation
  • Electrical shock from an outlet or appliance — even a mild shock indicates a wiring problem that must be addressed
  • Water damage to the electrical panel or wiring — from a roof leak, flooding, or burst pipe

What to Do Before the Electrician Arrives

If you smell burning or see sparking and cannot immediately identify a safe way to address it, your first call should be 911 — not a plumber or electrician. Fire moves fast inside walls, and the fire department can assess whether it’s safe to stay in the home while you wait for electrical help.

If the situation is concerning but not an immediate fire threat, turn off the breaker for the affected circuit if you can do so safely. Do not try to open an outlet or switch box if you smell burning or see discoloration. Avoid using the affected outlet, switch, or circuit until it has been evaluated. If the issue is at the panel itself, do not attempt to open the panel cover — the inside of a panel has live conductors that are dangerous even with the main breaker off.

Common Causes of After-Hours Electrical Calls

In Colorado, weather-related electrical events are a common trigger for emergency calls. Lightning strikes during summer afternoon thunderstorms can damage panels, fry outlets, and take out appliances not protected by whole-home surge protection. Denver’s afternoon and evening storms are frequent June through August, and without a whole-home surge protector, a direct or nearby strike can cause significant damage.

Winter cold snaps can also cause electrical issues in unheated spaces — frozen pipes that burst can send water into electrical boxes in basements or crawl spaces, creating an immediate hazard. And older homes with aging wiring can experience connection failures during periods of high electrical demand, such as running multiple space heaters during a cold stretch.

After the Emergency: What Comes Next

An emergency call gets the immediate hazard addressed — but it’s often the beginning of a larger conversation about the home’s electrical system. If a failing panel caused the emergency, the solution may be a panel upgrade. If the issue was a wiring fault in an older home, it may point to a broader need for assessment of the wiring condition throughout the house. Done’s electricians will give you an honest picture of what they find and what’s needed beyond the immediate repair.

For non-emergency electrical needs, our panels and wiring page covers upgrades and assessment services, and our smart home safety page covers surge protection that can prevent future storm damage. For emergency help right now, visit our emergency electricians page or call Done directly.