Gas Leak Causes Power Outage in Wilkes-Barre, Impacting Thousands
Wednesday night turned challenging for residents of Wilkes-Barre and its township as a significant power outage affected large areas. This disruption stemmed from a gas leak discovered on Public Square, prompting immediate action by utility workers.
The incident took place around Public Square and West Market Street, where city officials confirmed the presence of a gas leak. As of late Wednesday night, crews continued their efforts to address the issue, with no estimated time given for when power would be restored. Authorities urged people to steer clear of the affected area.
With streetlights and traffic signals down, downtown Wilkes-Barre faced a blackout. PPL and UGI Utilities were on site, working to fix the problem, as stated by city officials.
The blackout initially affected about 3,700 customers of PPL Electric Utilities, starting at approximately 9 p.m. This led to early closures for businesses, particularly in the township according to police.
Wilkes-Barre Township Police reminded residents that non-operational traffic signals should be treated as stop signs by law. Despite this reminder, comments on the department’s social media post indicated that many drivers were not following this guidance during the outage.
