At 1:15 p.m., Gail Rice, spokesperson for Central Maine Power announced about 6200 customers are without power in Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, and Southport Island due to a “blown transformer.” Rice also reports power should be restored by about 4 p.m.
Earlier in the day, voltage fluctuations were reported to CMP from Boothbay residents. Upon investigation, CMP crews learned the problem was “in the middle of the woods in North Edgecomb,” Rice said.
“The good news is last year we installed some fault detective equipment [designed] to pinpoint problems on those lines, and that took us directly to the transmission structure in the woods,” Rice said.
There, CMP crews discovered a power pole top had been burning, Rice said.
“The challenge is to get crews down there; that area is a right-of-way through very remote areas, and it [the new equipment] helped tremendously to get crews to the exact location,” Rice said.
Edgecomb Fire Dept. was called to the scene.
An update will appear in the print issue of The Lincoln County News.
