Kalispell power outage impacts 8,200 homes

Nearly 8,200 Flathead Electric Co-op members in the greater Kalispell area lost power for a couple hours Monday morning.

Beginning at around 11 a.m., a relay problem at the Bonnevile Power Administration’s Kalispell substation resulted in about 37 outages, causing blackouts for businesses, residents and traffic lights across the area.

Flathead Electric Public Relations Officer Wendy Ostrom-Price said the power grid showed spot outages as far north as the Glacier International Airport, south to Highway 82, west to U.S. 93 and east to the Lake Blaine area.

She said the administration managed to rectify the problem within minutes and restored all power by around 1 p.m.

All Flathead Electric service receivers are encouraged to call anytime they experience a power outage. To contact Flathead Electric, call 751-4483.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.