Update: power restored after mass outage in Midland on hottest day of the year

Downtown Midland had a power outage on Monday, August 26, 2019, when a utility pole caught fire. Oncor was working to restore power to the area.

Downtown Midland had a power outage on Monday, August 26, 2019, when a utility pole caught fire. Oncor was working to restore power to the area.

Power has been restored in downtown Midland after a mass outage Monday afternoon, according to Sue Mercer, Oncor’s West Region Manager of Customer Operations.

About 5,000 people were without power in downtown Midland, according to Oncor’s website, while temperatures outside reached 113 degrees.

RELATED: NWS: High temperature to reach 113 degrees

Contractors were drilling on Texas Avenue near the Midland County History Museum when they hit a power line, causing a utility poll to catch fire, according to a fire marshal on scene. He said half of downtown was without power at the time.

Mercer said power has been restored to the majority of Oncor customers affected. As of 6 p.m., only 69 customers were still without power, she said.