The power outage last night didn't stop patrons at the Golden Spike tavern in Havre from enjoying their evening. Candles, LED lamps and vehicle headlights provided enough light to keep the drinks flowing.
Around 8 p. m. Wednesday night, a large power outage knocked out the electricity for a sizable chunk of the Hi-Line for more than two hours.
According to Claudia Rapkoch, NorthWestern Energy spokeswoman, the blackout began when a transformer at the Fort Assinniboine substation failed.
NorthWestern officials do not know if the failure was related to the weather, but are investigating the possibility this morning.
“That substation is the one that provides power for the whole highway, ” Rapkoch said.
Communities along U. S. Highway 87, including Havre, Box Elder and Big Sandy, were hit for the longest amount of time, not getting power restored until after 11 p. m.
The blackout also spread along U. S. Highway 2 to the east and west; though, with other nearby options the power was restored earlier.
Some homes in Hill County that receive power through the Hill County Electric Cooperative were not affected by the blackout, except for smaller lightning-induced outages.
The cooperative gets some of its power from Northwestern Energy, but also receives power for its Havre substation from the Western Area Power Administration.
