Equipment failure causes large power outage in downtown Seattle



SEATTLE -- Authorities say power has been restored to downtown Seattle after an outage darkened much of the area, causing traffic lights to fail and disrupting light rail service.

Seattle City Light says power was restored about 12:30 p.m. after being down for about an hour. Crews were still investigating the cause and an exact estimate on the number of customers affected wasn't immediately available. Earlier the utility said an equipment failure at a substation was to blame.



During the outage, Seattle police sent officers to help manage traffic at some busier intersections. Officials reminded drivers to treat dark intersections as a 4-way stop.

People who were riding in elevators when the power went out were stranded and put out calls for help, according to the Seattle online dispatch page. About 25 calls for elevator rescues were reported around town.

Seattle's airport did not lose power, but some landline phones were down, according to a Tweet by Sea-Tac Airport.

Read a timeline of events below: