A transformer explosion in North Lewiston left more than 1,100 Avista customers without power Thursday evening, triggering a response from both utility crews and local law enforcement.
The outage stretched across a broad section of North Lewiston, with affected areas running from 21st and Main streets toward 12th Avenue. Avista crews initially projected restoration by 11:30 p.m., but managed to bring service back roughly an hour ahead of schedule, around 10:30 p.m.
Police Direct Traffic as Signals Go Dark
With traffic signals down across several busy intersections, Lewiston police officers stepped in to manually direct vehicles through the affected corridors. For approximately 30 minutes, drivers had to treat darkened intersections as four-way stops. Officers eventually cleared the scene once power was restored and traffic flow returned to normal. Authorities noted that some officers may have also been responding to unrelated calls during the same period.
This marks another significant disruption for Lewiston residents in recent weeks. A power outage affecting more than 1,100 customers in Lewiston was also reported on Thursday evening, and a shop fire left a building a total loss in Lewiston in a separate incident.
What Comes Next
Avista has not released additional details on the cause of the transformer failure or what repairs were completed. Residents in the affected neighborhoods are encouraged to contact Avista directly to report any lingering service issues. No injuries were reported in connection with the explosion or the outage.