MEDIA RELEASE

Hawai‘i Electric Light reports that about 11,700 customers in the Puna and Hilo areas experienced a power interruption today.

Power was interrupted at 9:59 a.m. Thursday morning when a large Albizia tree fell on to transmission lines and broke utility equipment on Ainaloa Boulevard. A private tree-trimmer was in the process of removing the tree when it fell into power lines. Hawai‘i Electric Light crews responded quickly to safely repair the damage and restore power.

Crews were able to re-route power for about 8,100 customers, restoring power by 10:09 a.m. The remaining customers had their power restored at 12:56 p.m. after the tree was removed from the lines and the damage was repaired.

Updates on power outages and restoration efforts can be found on Hawai‘i Electric Light’s Twitter account: @HIElectricLight. To report a power outage, please call (808) 969-6666.