Large areas of Wilkes-Barre and surrounding Wilkes-Barre Township were without power Wednesday night as utility crews worked to resolve a gas leak on Public Square in the city.
City officials said the leak was in the area of Public Square and West Market Street. Crews were still on scene as of 11 p.m. City officials said an estimated time for service restoration was not immediately available, and asked the public to avoid the area.
Much of downtown Wilkes-Barre was in the dark, with traffic signals and streetlights out of commission as PPL and UGI Utilities worked to resolve the issue, city officials said.
The initial power outage was much larger, however.
As many as 3,700 PPL Electric Utilities customers lost power around 9 p.m., causing businesses to close early, particularly in the township, police said.
Wilkes-Barre Township Police reminded the public that a non-functioning traffic signal is required by law to be treated as a stop sign.
Comments on the department's post suggested that many motorists were not heeding that guidance at the height of the power outage.
