Power Outage hits Siskiyou County

A widespread power  outage hit Siskiyou County Christmas eve, affecting areas from Dunsmuir in the south to Weed in the North.  Areas to the east including McCloud were also affected.  According to published reports, nearly 10,000 people were affected.

Power difficulties started in the afternoon when the power blinked off for a couple seconds around 2:00 pm.  About an hour later, the power went out for 20 minutes.

The power outage started around 5:30pm, and lasted until 9:45pm.  Thousands of tourists and area residents were forced to enjoy dinner and wrap Christmas presents by candlelight.

A drive around Mt. Shasta City Thursday night revealed the extent of the total blackout.  Traffic was heavy in the area as people went about their business doing last minute preparations for Christmas Day.

There was no word from Pacific Power on what caused the outage.  Weather conditions in the area were normal for this time of year, with clear skies and temperatures in the low 30’s.