A transformer explosion in North Lewiston left more than 1,100 Avista customers without power Thursday evening, prompting a utility crew response and temporary traffic management by local police.
The outage stretched across a broad stretch of the north side of the city, with affected areas running from 21st and Main streets up toward 12th Avenue. Avista crews initially projected restoration by 11:30 p.m., but power returned ahead of schedule at approximately 10:30 p.m.
Officers Direct Traffic as Signals Go Dark
For roughly half an hour, traffic signals throughout the affected area were non-functional, requiring Lewiston police officers to step in and manually direct vehicles at several high-traffic intersections. Authorities noted that some officers may have simultaneously been responding to unrelated calls during the outage window, adding to the demands on patrol resources. Once power was restored, traffic returned to normal operations without further incident.
This is the latest in a series of public safety events to affect the Lewiston area in recent weeks. An earlier power outage affecting approximately 1,100 customers also drew attention to the city’s utility infrastructure. Separately, a shop fire left a building a total loss in another part of Lewiston, underscoring the workload local emergency responders have faced.
Avista serves a wide customer base across the Lewis-Clark Valley. Residents and motorists are reminded that darkened traffic signals should be treated as four-way stops under Idaho traffic law.
What Comes Next: Avista has not publicly released details on the condition of the failed transformer or a timeline for any infrastructure upgrades at the affected location. Residents can monitor Avista’s outage map for any future service disruptions in the North Lewiston area.