Power Blackout in Aroostook County Caused By Damaged Line

Officials say a power blackout Monday afternoon that affected thousands of people from Caribou to Island Falls was caused by a damaged transmission line.

The outage hit at about 4:15 p.m. and included all customers in central and southern Aroostook County. Emera Maine spokesman Bob Potts said a tree fell onto a transmission line that feeds the region from New Brunswick. Over 20 thousand homes and businesses lost power.

Crews were immediately dispatched to repair the damage. Some areas, including Presque Isle, had power back within 40 minutes after the outage. Service was restored to the entire area by early Monday evening.