A transformer explosion in North Lewiston left more than 1,100 Avista customers without electricity Thursday evening, disrupting traffic signals and drawing a law enforcement response across several busy intersections.
The outage stretched across a broad section of the city, affecting neighborhoods from 21st and Main streets up through the 12th Avenue corridor. Avista crews initially projected restoration by 11:30 p.m., but power came back roughly an hour ahead of schedule at approximately 10:30 p.m.
Officers Step In as Traffic Signals Go Dark
With signals out across the affected area, Lewiston police deployed to manage traffic at key intersections, which effectively functioned as four-way stops for about 30 minutes. Officers cleared the scene once power was restored and traffic flow returned to normal. Authorities noted that some officers may have simultaneously been responding to unrelated calls during the outage window.
This is the second significant power disruption to affect the Lewiston area recently. For additional background on the earlier outage affecting more than 1,100 customers, details were previously reported. Residents and business owners in the region have also contended with other emergency incidents in recent weeks, including a shop fire that resulted in a total loss in Lewiston.
No injuries were reported in connection with the transformer explosion or the traffic disruptions that followed. Avista has not publicly released additional details regarding the cause of the transformer failure as of this report.
Tags: Lewiston, Nez Perce County, power outage, Avista, public safety, North Lewiston, transformer explosion