Thousands regain power after tree knocks out electricity for Durham customers

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Power has been restored to most Duke Energy customers who lost electricity Wednesday morning after a tree fell onto transmission lines near the Durham County line.

The outage began around 2:30 a.m. and initially affected about 25,000 customers, primarily south of the Durham Freeway. By the afternoon, service had been restored to the vast majority of those impacted.

The outage also knocked out several traffic lights, creating challenges for drivers during the morning commute.

Chopper 11 flew over the scene as utility crews worked to remove the fallen tree from the transmission lines and restore service.

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