Two electric issues in Gaston County sparked outages at homes and businesses early Tuesday. Duke Energy crews were called out at 7:20 a.m. for a power outage in northwestern Gaston County.
It affected 760 customers near the Gaston/Lincoln County line. Crews restored their power by 10 a.m., said Duke Energy spokeswoman Catherine Butler. “It had to do with heavy rain. There were tree limbs on the line and ice on the line,” she said.
She said electric crews repair damaged lines in the rain but first make sure it’s safe to work. The city of Gastonia also experienced an electric utility issue Tuesday. A faulty electric insulator caused a brief power outage for businesses and homes along New Hope Road in Gastonia.
The city experienced a power issue around 10 a.m. that affected 170 customers, said city spokeswoman Rachel Bagley.
The faulty insulator in the area of Eastridge Mall takes the blame. Parts of the mall were without power as crews worked to restore electricity. It’s debatable whether heavy rain moving through the area caused outage.
“Sometimes (insulators) go out even when the weather is fine,” she said. “We’re not sure if it was weather related.”
The city of Gastonia did not report any power outages overnight from Monday to Tuesday. The outage at 10 a.m. Tuesday affected parts of Eastridge Mall and an office complex in the area of nearby Summit Crossing Place.
Bagley said CaroMont Regional Medical Center did not lose power.
You can reach Wade Allen at 704-869-1828 or twitter.com/GazetteWade.