JUNEAU, Alaska – There's a citywide blackout in Juneau.
Alaska Electric Light & Power Co. says about 15,000 homes and businesses lost power about 1:40 p.m. Monday.
Company spokesman Scott Willis says a transmission line was tripped up near the generation plant, about 45 miles outside the city. No further details were immediately available.
He says power is slowly being restored. The utility is switching to diesel power instead of relying on hydropower.
Even though it's not known what caused this power outage, Willis says the avalanche danger in the area is high.
An avalanche last April took out transmission lines in the same area, forcing the city to rely on the more expensive diesel power for weeks.
A flood warning remains in effect Monday afternoon for Juneau. Rain with warmer temperatures are melting 51 inches of snow that have fallen this month, causing street drains to overflow.
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