Starlings cause Wednesday power outage

A flock of birds was the apparent cause of a power outage that struck the Lovell area last Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Power went out throughout the community at 8:26 a.m. that morning, and partial power with a “brownout” effect was restored at about 9:09, with lights winking on and off at many downtown businesses. Full power was then restored in three stages, with full power returning at around 11:30 a.m.

Some 1,675 customers were affected by the outage.

According to Rocky Mountain Power spokesman David Eskelson a possible combination of two events may have led to the event. He said the primary cause of the outage appeared to be a large flock of starlings perching on a power line in the area and then flying all at once, causing the line to bounce and register a fault, which left three circuits open at an area substation. A downed power line in the region may have also contributed to the outage, he said.

Eskelson said each of the three circuits was restored one at a time, with power restored in three sections of 340, 737 and 598 customers.