A squirrel got into a Flathead Electric Cooperative transformer Monday morning and cut off electricity to 3,900 members, including many in downtown Kalispell.
Beginning shortly after 8 a.m., traffic lights were down on Main Street and nearby streets, causing drivers to resort to four-way stops and hand motions at intersections. Some downtown businesses and traffic lights regained power around 9 a.m. The rest regained electricity at about 10:40.
Wendy Ostrom Price, public relations officer for Flathead Electric Cooperative, said 3,900 members were initially affected.
The squirrel got into the transformer at a Flathead Electric substation on the 1800 block of Fifth Avenue East. Squirrel activity is the No. 2 reason for power outages behind weather, Ostrom Price said. This time of year, squirrels are particularly active, she added.
“They get in there and generally wreak havoc,” Ostrom Price said. “And they do not survive.”