Power outage blacks out part of Conneaut

By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

June 24, 2008 07:47 pm

— CONNEAUT — An outage of undetermined origin shut down power to hundreds of Conneaut electric customers late Monday morning, officials said.
The outage began around 11:15 a.m. and affected some 467 customers, said Mark Jones, Illuminating Co. area manager. Service was restored shortly after noon, he said.
The blackout affected sections of the downtown district. Traffic signals were dark at some of the city’s busiest crossroads, including Main and Mill streets, Mill and State streets, and Chestnut and State streets. Stop signs that were placed at the intersections helped monitor traffic.
Some businesses, including the True North convenience store at Mill and State streets, closed their doors when the lights went out. Employees were seen waving away motorists as they pulled up to the gas pumps.
A circuit in the downtown area was tripped, but the cause wasn’t immediately known, officials said. Jones said he heard unconfirmed reports that a truck may have brushed some non-electric wires in the downtown area.
“If it’s true, that may have been a factor,” he said.