Thousands without power in Durham after tree falls on transmission lines

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Wednesday, July 1, 2026 10:44AM
Power outage leaves thousands in the dark across south Durham

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Thousands of Duke Energy customers were without power Wednesday morning after a tree fell onto transmission lines near the Durham County line.

The outage is impacting customers south of the Durham Freeway. The outage, which began around 2:30 a.m., initially impacted about 25,000 customers south of the Durham Freeway. That number had been reduced to about 7,000 as crews worked to restore service.

The outage also knocked out several traffic signals, including lights along Fayetteville Road, creating potential hazards for drivers during the morning commute.

Duke Energy officials told ABC11 they expect power to be restored by about 8:15 a.m.

Drivers are urged to use caution around intersections without working traffic lights and treat them as four-way stops.

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