Back to Blog

LINEMAN OKAY AFTER ELECTRICAL ARC CAUSED POWER OUTAGE IN EASTSOUND

Today’s outage in the Eastsound area was caused when an arc occurred during a system maintenance project in the Eastsound Village area. Journeyman Lineman Roger Sandwith was working on energized equipment with a hot stick and received minor burns to three knuckles of his hand. Sandwith was checked out at the medical center and given the all clear.

Safety is OPALCO’s top priority. The fact that our line crew was following safety protocols is what brought them through this event in good shape. It is an industry standard for linemen to work “hot” – on energized lines – to minimize outage interruptions for the people they serve. Please remember to thank our linemen for the job they do day after day to keep the power on.

The outage event began at about 10:00 am and power restoration is expected by 3:00 pm today.

You may also like...

campfire

Wildfire Readiness

Learn to build a resilient community The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted strong El Niño conditions for the Pacific Northwest in 2026. In this case, El Niño likely … Read more
cohort 17

Cultivating the Next Generation of Leaders

On April 24, OPALCO Communications Specialist Jo Lange successfully completed and graduated from the Leadership San Juan Islands program. The San Juan Islands-based program aims to help develop service-minded leaders … Read more
lopez school solar

Lopez Schools Go Big with Solar

Rooftop installation lays groundwork for a community resilience hub Lopez Island School District has started an ambitious solar project to help secure its energy future. This multiphase project is expected … Read more