Separate incidents cause 2 power outages

Two Sunday morning power outages affected two separate parts of the city.

From 6:45 a.m. to 7:19 a.m., 2,679 customers lost power in North Lawrence and areas as far east of there as Linwood, said Karla Olsen, a Westar Energy spokeswoman.

A lightning arrester failed at an area substation, which caused four circuits to go out until repairs were made, she said.

About 350 customers in southwestern Lawrence lost power for several hours after 8:30 a.m.

A vehicle struck a box, and it knocked out a switch enclosure near Clinton Parkway and Inverness Drive, Olsen said. It affected a partial circuit, and most customers’ electricity was restored by 1 p.m.

Sgt. Michael Monroe, a Lawrence police spokesman, said a vehicle was accidentally left in gear in that area while someone was moving other vehicles. The vehicle rolled down a hill and struck the box, which houses the switch enclosures, he said.