Douglas County, Ore. – A major power outage in Douglas County, Oregon, left nearly 36,000 residents without electricity early on the morning of January 21. The outage, which affected communities including Glide, Myrtle Creek, Oakland, Roseburg, Sutherlin, Winchester, and Winston, was reported by Pacific Power just before 6 a.m. The utility company dispatched crews to investigate the cause and restore service, with power estimated to be fully restored by 2:30 p.m.
By 10:13 a.m., Pacific Power confirmed that all customers had their power restored. The outage, which initially left 35,779 customers without electricity, saw significant progress in restoration efforts starting at 8:30 a.m. By 9:30 a.m., the number of affected customers had dropped to around 3,000. Pacific Power officials stated that the outage was caused by equipment failure at a substation in the area, though they have not yet determined the exact cause. Freezing temperatures may have contributed, though the utility’s equipment is designed to handle extreme weather.
The outage had widespread effects on local operations. State offices across Douglas County, excluding Canyonville and Reedsport, opened at 10 a.m. instead of the usual 8 a.m. UCAN Head Start and Glide Preschool Promise sites also operated on a two-hour delay, with no morning preschool sessions. Douglas County Circuit Court was similarly delayed and opened two hours later than normal. The Roseburg School District made the decision to cancel classes for the day due to the power disruption.
Barbara Akins, a resident of Lookingglass, shared her experience of the outage. She and her husband, Corey, had installed a $1,200 generator when they moved to the area due to frequent power outages. Despite the generator keeping their home powered, they encountered additional challenges as the propane tank froze in the cold temperatures. Akins said they had to switch to gasoline to fuel the generator.
“I noticed the power going out around 5 a.m. while I let the dogs out. All of a sudden, the lights just went out, and everything went quiet,” Akins said. “We were thankful to have the generator, but it was tough with the cold.”
The freezing temperatures also contributed to hazardous conditions on the roads. According to the owner of Lookingglass Store, the combination of 20-degree temperatures and dense fog played a role in a car crashing into the building that morning.
Pacific Power is urging residents to be prepared for future outages, especially during winter weather, and has provided resources for staying informed. Customers who are still experiencing outages are encouraged to check their main breaker and text “OUT” to 722797 for updates.
Pacific Power continues to monitor the situation, and further updates on the outage can be found on their website.
