Thousands in Salt Lake area lose power as temperatures soar

SALT LAKE CITY — A large power outage affected over 4,500 customers Monday in the Salt Lake area on what is expected to be one of the hottest days of the year.

Rocky Mountain Power reported that the outage was first registered just before 11:30 a.m. in the Millcreek area near Interstate 215.

“The hotter it gets, the worse it gets,” said affected customer Rick Miller.

A company spokesperson told FOX 13 News that an arrester – similar to a surge protector – stopped working and the Millcreek substation shut down as a precaution.

At one point, 4,549 customers were without power.

“It’s painful. It’s a little bit scary but I think we’re OK,” said Seth Stewart, another customer without air conditioning.

Outages popped up across the state, but the biggest hit was in a Millcreek neighborhood near Skyline High School.

“Not much you can do. We’ve basically locked down the refrigerator, don’t open it cause we don’t want things to spoil,” said Miller.

Most people who work from home had their hands tied.

“I can’t do my job, I can be on conference calls on my phone through applications, but I can’t do anything,” said Miller.

“I’m actually headed out right now to find some AC,” said Stewart.

As of 6:30 p.m., that number had dropped to just over 440.

The National Weather Service says temperatures over Utah will be 5-10 degrees above normal for mid-July with a high of 102 degrees Fahrenheit forecast for Salt Lake City. On Sunday, the record-high temperature for July 16 was shattered in Salt Lake City when the airport hit 106 degrees, breaking the previous daily record of 103 degrees.

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