Mechanical problem to blame for Thursday power outage in Everett

Published 11:53 am Friday, January 2, 2015

EVERETT — A mechanical problem caused about 2,100 customers of the Snohomish Public Utility District to lose power on Jan. 1.

The problem was traced to an electrical relay, which caused the PUD to shut down a substation in south Everett for maintenance at about 11:30 a.m., said utility spokesman Neil Neroutsos.

Power was rerouted from another substation, and most customers had their electricity restored within an hour and a half, Neroutsos said.

A few customers were without power until about 2 p.m., he added.

Squirrels, a common culprit in previous outages, were not deemed to have been involved in Thursday’s outage.