Major power outage hits downtown Healdsburg

Downtown Healdsburg was hit with a major electrical outage Sunday. Though widespread, it lasted under two hours for most people and businesses.

The first reports of lost power came in just after 11 am. Healdsburg Utility and Streets Emergency Hotline noted outages on Healdsburg Avenue, Matheson Street, Fitch Street, North Street and surrounding roads.

An advisory sent out by the city of Healdsburg cautioned that “some traffic lights were affected,” and warned people to proceed carefully.

The outage occurred when a crow flew into a power line causing a fault to be set off and a wire to fall, according to Healdsburg Utilities Director Terry Crowley.

The city, through Healdsburg Electric, operates its own electric utility.

Crews worked quickly to restore service, and the majority of power was back on by 12:24 pm, Crowley said. A few customers were left out so that downed wire could be repaired safely. Their electricity was restored by 1:40 pm.

Crowley said it didn’t appear that any other damage was caused.

“Everything’s repaired and back to normal,” he said.

Customers can call 707-431-7000 to report outages or hear updates.

You can reach “In Your Corner” Columnist Marisa Endicott at 707-521-5470 or marisa.endicott@pressdemocrat.com. On X (formerly Twitter) @InYourCornerTPD and Facebook @InYourCornerTPD.