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Detroit power outage: Cable failure darkens parts of city

Detroit power outage affected several government buildings in Detroit after a 'major cable failure' plunged the cash-strapped city into darkness. Schools and businesses said they would close or suspend services because of the Detroit power outage.

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Diane Weiss/Detroit Free Press/AP
Work stopped and construction workers were sent home from Cobo Hall during a massive power outage that hit downtown Detroit, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. The Detroit power outage closed several government buildings, including some courthouses, and left intersections without working traffic lights.
  • By Staff Associated Press

| Detroit

A Detroit power outage has been affecting several government buildings in Detroit and left some areas without working traffic lights.

Detroit Public Schools says it's dismissing students at mid-day Tuesday because of the outage, which happened at about 10:30 a.m.

Detroit's public lighting department, which serves areas affected by the outage, says "a major cable failure" caused the cash-strapped city's aging grid to lose power.

Wayne State University says it also is closing for the day, while service has suspended by the Detroit People Mover, an elevated rail line looping downtown.

Other affected facilities include Joe Louis Arena, home of hockey's Detroit Red Wings, and fire stations.

Power was being gradually restored to some buildings and traffic signals by early afternoon.

"We have isolated the issue and are working to restore power as soon as possible," the city said in a statement. Roughly 1,000 sites were hit by the Detroit power outage, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Detroit-based DTE Energy Co. say it's assisting the city.

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