Video – Photo Gallery – Cobourg Plunged Into Darkness After Power Outage

Pete Fisher
2 hours ago
• Categories: Local, Photo Gallery

A large portion of Cobourg was plunged into darkness Friday evening after a widespread power outage sent Lakefront Utilities crews scrambling to determine what went wrong.

The outage began shortly before 5 p.m. on September 18, affecting a large section of the community just as businesses were heading into the busy Friday evening period.

Initially, Lakefront Utilities suspected the problem was outside its own system.

“At this time, we suspect the outage may be related to an issue with Hydro One’s supply affecting our lines. We have contacted Hydro One and are awaiting further information,” the utility reported.

“Our crews continue to patrol our system and inspect our poles for any signs of an issue within our own lines that could indicate otherwise.”

Adding to the frustration was the fact that Lakefront Utilities’ website went down shortly after the outage began.

The utility later explained that the timing was an unfortunate coincidence.

“Our website is back up! Completely coincidental timing that our server host happened to perform an update at the same time we were dealing with the outage,” Lakefront Utilities reported.

“Terrible timing but it is working again! Thanks for your patience while we sorted it out!”

The website didn’t stay up for long.

“Update – Website is back down – working on it!” the utility later posted.

Meanwhile, crews continued trying to identify the source of the electrical failure.

At approximately 6:30 p.m., Lakefront Utilities announced what appeared to be a breakthrough.

“It is confirmed that it is a Hydro One loss of supply,” the utility reported.

But that conclusion didn’t last long.

About an hour later, Lakefront Utilities was forced to walk the announcement back after an attempt to switch customers over to another supply failed.

“We were too quick. We tried to switch everyone over and that failed which suggests the problem is somewhere on our lines,” the utility reported.

Crews were then back to searching for a problem that wasn’t immediately visible.

“Please call our number and advise our after hours service if you saw a fireball, heard a loud bang, flashing etc. Our crews are patrolling to find the source,” the utility stated.

In another update, Lakefront Utilities said the failed transfer had effectively put crews “back to square one.”

“The feeder did not switch over nicely which would suggest there is an issue with our lines. Its just not obvious,” the utility reported.

Residents were again asked to contact the utility if they had witnessed anything unusual immediately before the outage.

For several hours, Cobourg businesses and residents were left dealing with the consequences.

Storefronts throughout town closed early as cash registers, lighting and other electrical equipment went offline.

Emergency services were also called to deal with incidents believed to be related to the outage, including two calls involving people reportedly trapped in elevators and one motor vehicle collision.

Then, at approximately 10:30 p.m., there was finally some good news.

Lakefront Utilities announced that nearly all power had been restored throughout Cobourg.

After hours of uncertainty, crews had managed to get most of the community back online.

But while many businesses simply closed their doors for the night, one local hair salon decided to make the best of a bad situation.

With the lights out and the equipment inside the salon unable to operate, staff took their client outside onto the sidewalk along King Street and continued the appointment in the open air.

It was a little unconventional — but with Cobourg in the dark, sometimes you simply have to work with what you’ve got.

And for one customer, getting a haircut during a town-wide power outage became a Friday night story they’ll probably remember for a long time.