Power outage leads to Rosedale evacuation
What happened at the mall on Saturday?
A power outage in the area around Rosedale Center closed the mall and impacted surrounding businesses and homes on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
Mike McCormick and his wife were at the 6:00 p.m. IMAX showing of The Odyssey when the electricity went out in the theater around 6:30 p.m.
"Emergency lights came on, screen went dark, people grew confused and unsure what to do," McCormick, a Roseville resident, said. An AMC employee came in and told guests to come to the lobby for a "discussion." Once there, they were told that due to the power outage, they needed to evacuate and come back in a few days for a refund.
All movie showings were canceled for the remainder of the evening and advance tickets purchased online were refunded automatically.
The rest of Rosedale Center was evacuated and closed early too. The mall is normally open until 8:00 p.m.
Vehicles leaving the mall slowly snaked around the perimeter as traffic lights on County Rd B2 flashed or went dark completely.
It took an hour for the McCormicks to exit the Rosedale parking lot in their vehicle due to the traffic jam. There were no police officers directing traffic.
"It was a mess at the intersection by Shake Shack," said Roseville resident Sue Bower.
"I called 911 just to make sure they were aware and could get some traffic control out there. They were aware and said there had been a power outage," Bower said.
The Roseville Police Department has not yet returned our request for comment.
Anne Strub, a Roseville resident, was eating at Lucky's 13 Pub when the power went out and they had to leave.
"We in no way blamed the restaurant. In fact we felt terrible for the staff losing out on their tips," Strub said.
Lucky's is located north of County Rd B2 at Rosedale Commons, which is not attached to Rosedale Center.
This was the second time that day that electricity went out in the area. The first outage occurred at 3:00 p.m. and power was restored by 3:30, according to Josiah Mayo, Media Relations Representative at Xcel Energy. The 6:30 p.m. outage was unrelated to the first and power was restored in less than an hour, according to Xcel. The two outages impacted roughly 600 customers in Roseville and were caused by separate "equipment issues."
Homes in the surrounding area lost power during these outages too.
"We know losing power is inconvenient and we appreciate our customers’ patience when outages occur," Mayo said in an email.
Roseville's Public Works Department was unaware of the outage.
"We have no information on this outage. The outage did not affect any city facilities or infrastructure," Public Works Director Jesse Freihammer said. Traffic lights are the responsibility of Ramsey County.
Lisa Crain, Vice President, Group Manager at JLL Property Management confirmed that there had been a power outage impacting Rosedale Center and sounding areas. She declined to comment further.
Xcel did not provide details on the equipment issues that caused the power outage. When asked how high temperatures impact the electrical grid and whether that was factor in this situation, Mayo communicated this via email:
"Our equipment is designed to withstand high temperatures and severe weather conditions. However, during periods of extreme heat it is possible for high temperatures to affect power lines and equipment. Our crews work around the clock to maintain the grid and ensure we deliver the power our communities depend on safely and reliably. During this heat wave, we have more than enough energy to maintain reliable service for our customers."
Rosedale Center reopened on Sunday.
