Chugach Electric Association reported that power has returned for about 2,000 customers in the Sand Lake neighborhood of Anchorage Thursday night after a tree fell into a power line.
Sarah Wiggers, Chugach Electric spokeswoman, said that as strong winds whipped across parts of Southcentral Alaska Thursday, several smaller power outages also popped up in Anchorage, Girdwood, Indian, Hope and Cooper Landing.
"At this point, we're just fighting them as we find them," Wiggers said. The power went off for Sand Lake customers around 6:15 p.m. and came back on roughly three hours later, she said.
Earlier Thursday, about 5,000 people in downtown Anchorage briefly lost power when a tree fell into a power line near the intersection of 10th Avenue and C Street, according to Municipal Light and Power spokeswoman Julie Harris.
Harris said the outage stretched from Eighth Avenue to 22nd Avenue and from Gambell Street to Bootlegger Cove.
The National Weather Service released a special weather statement around 7:30 p.m. warning residents of Anchorage, Eagle River, Indian and Eklutna that gusty winds had increased to 25-35 mph and could cause small trees to blow over.