A number of businesses and residents in Talkeetna were without power on Tuesday afternoon and evening. MEA spokesperson, Cheryll Heinze, says the culprit was a downed tree that fell on a power line on Veterans’ Way. At 4 oclock in the afternoon, the fire department reported a tree had fallen on a line and the result was a burned tree limb. Although there were no injuries and no real fire to speak of, MEA reports that incident opened an oil-cooled reclosure, an OCR, which controls the power line. It acts as an isolator so the entire town isn’t without power. MEA lineman responded and were able to restore all power by 8:30 Tuesday evening.
MEA Director of Operations, Tony Zellers, says residents along the highway north of Talkeetna and up to Trapper Creek, and Cache Creek, will start to see MEA crews working on clearing trees and brush along power lines next week. He says the work will most likely continue through mid October.
