Students lose power in South Oakland

A lightning storm prompted nearly 500 power outages in South Oakland.

The customers of Duquesne Light, the primary power provider of Oakland, lost power on Thursday evening, according to spokesperson Jessica Rock.

The outage affected parts of Atwood Street, Meyran Avenue, and part of the 3700 block of Forbes Ave., Rock said. The company expects to restore power by morning.

Duquesne Light’s crews are assessing the damage, Rock said at 10:45 p.m.

Allegheny County’s 9-1-1 center also experienced issues related to the storm at 7 p.m. on Thursday, according to spokeswoman Amie Downs.

“Anyone needing emergency help should call 412-473-3000,” Downs said in an email at the time of the outage.

Call service was fully restored by 8 p.m, Down said, and she couldn’t recall the last time 9-1-1 had experienced technical difficulties.

The county had not determined a specific cause for 9-1-1 center’s technical issues as of 10:22 p.m., but Downs said the county would analyze later in the night.

A total of 3,000 customers in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas lost power during the storm, according to Duquesne Light’s website at 10:56 p.m.

“With weather like this, we’ll see our fair share of outages like this,” Rock said.