OAKFIELD, Maine — A tree felled by a beaver was cited as the cause of a power outage that impacted about 2,900 Aroostook County customers of Emera Maine Monday night.
According to Bob Potts, spokesperson for Emera, the downed tree took out a transmission line serving customers in the Ludlow, Oakfield, Sherman, Island Falls and Patten area. A repair crew was on the scene overnight to first trace the cause of the outage and then begin repairing it.
“(The downed tree) is in a very remote, wooded area which has been challenging to reach, but workers will remain working to restore power by mid-morning,” Potts said. “Emera Maine crews have been working through the overnight to restore service to customers throughout the service area.”
As of 11:05 a.m. Tuesday, 1,238 Aroostook County customers and 1,844 total Emera customers were still without power. Potts said the estimated time for power to be restored was 7:30 a.m., but the remote location of the damage and the high winds early Tuesday morning were making the fix problematic. The repairs were expected to be completed by late Tuesday afternoon.
Unrelated outages also occurred in the company’s Bangor Hydro District, as strong winds and wind gusts were reported as the cause of most power outages Monday night. Crews were working to restore service from northern Penobscot County, Downeast to Mount Desert Island.
“Additional crews coming on line this morning should help speed the restoration but continued winds may cause additional outages which would delay those efforts further,” Potts said.
Emera Maine encourages customers to stay clear of downed power lines and trees in contact with power lines. Customers may report outages or ask questions by calling its Customer Service Center at (207) 973-2020 or 1-855-EMERA11 (1-855-363-7211).
