A transformer explosion in North Lewiston knocked out electricity for more than 1,100 Avista customers Thursday evening, prompting a police response and leaving drivers to navigate darkened intersections for a stretch of the night.
The outage affected a broad corridor of North Lewiston, spanning from the area of 21st and Main streets northward toward 12th Avenue. Avista crews initially projected restoration by 11:30 p.m., though power came back roughly an hour ahead of schedule at around 10:30 p.m.
Officers Direct Traffic as Signals Go Dark
With traffic signals offline, Lewiston police deployed to several busy intersections to manage the flow of vehicles. For approximately 30 minutes, motorists were required to treat affected intersections as four-way stops. Officers may also have been responding to unrelated calls during the same period, according to authorities. Traffic conditions normalized once Avista restored service.
The incident is the latest in a series of recent public safety events in Lewiston. An earlier structure fire left a building a total loss in the city, and a prior outage earlier Thursday evening had already affected roughly the same number of customers before this explosion compounded the evening’s disruptions.
What Comes Next
Avista has not released details on the cause of the transformer failure or whether infrastructure upgrades are planned for the affected area. Residents and commuters in North Lewiston are encouraged to monitor Avista outage alerts for future service interruptions. Lewiston police have not indicated any additional follow-up related to the traffic management response.