Orchards-area power outage affects 1,676 customers

Clark Public Utilities says 1,676 customers were out of power for a couple of hours after a transformer blew in the Orchards area Monday evening.

A transformer malfunctioned at 6:37 p.m. near Northeast 112th Avenue and Northeast 39th Street, resulting in an electricity outage in the Orchards area. Power was restored to all customers by 8:13 p.m., said Clark Public Utilities spokeswoman Erica Erland.

Residents reported seeing a flash of light and some smoke associated with the electrical explosion.

Less than 10 minutes after the transformer blew, an accident occurred at Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and Northeast Covington Road. No serious injuries were reported and no other accidents occurred Monday evening in Orchards while the streetlights were out.

A second transformer blew in the area around 7:35 p.m., according to emergency radio traffic monitored by The Columbian.

Near the Burton substation in Orchards, a wire fell and had to be reattached, Erland said.

Crews, who worked to repair the transformer, determined the outage was caused by a bad underground wire running underneath Highway 500. After power was restored, motorists reported the traffic lights were flashing red, causing congestion in the area.