Bolts of lightning are believed to be the cause of a short-lived power outage that affected 2,775 La Plata Electric Association costumers north and northeast of Durango at about 2:35 p.m. Saturday.

Indiana Reed, spokeswoman for LPEA said that’s when breakers on transmission stations at Hesperus, Cascade and Tacoma all locked open.

Reed said the system actually was reacting as it is designed to do – to open when it senses any problem, calling the outage “basically blinks. No damage.”

Power was restored by 3:15 p.m., but Reed said LPEA would remain on high alert with the possibility of continued lightening causing more issues.

bmathis@durangoherald.com