TURNER — Fire crews doused flames Friday after a utility pole, grass and part of a Central Maine Power substation caught fire at about 3 p.m.
The substation near Food City was reported on fire by several passersby. Firefighters knocked down the flames, but hours later, several residents were still reporting power surges and outages.
The Fire Department responded to several reports of telephone poles on fire, as well as associated grass fires, throughout the day. There was no immediate explanation as to what was causing them.
The blaze near Food City caused a section of Route 4 to be closed down for a while as crews battled the flames.
By 8 p.m., residents were taking to social media to report lingering power outages.
In one area, a resident reported that only 20% of her home was powered. A local man complained of repeated power surges while others just wrote in wondering when the power interruptions would stop.
One man who lives on Route 4, near the shopping mall, said his power was down for four hours until it came back on in the early evening.
At one point, CMP reported more than 1,200 customers without power in the area of Bradford Road. Power in that area was out until around 7 p.m.
CMP crews were said to be working in various areas of the town early Friday night, including on Lower Street and along Auburn Road.
A home on Upper Street was destroyed by fire June 16, where some neighbors had reported power surges in the area.
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