UPDATED: Fire Sparks Widespread Power Outages; 1,000 Customers Without Power For The Night

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UPDATE 9 a.m. 1/31/13

Just before 5 a.m. this morning, over 400 customers in Lakewood were still without power. As of 9 a.m., 30 customers are still without power. 

UPDATE 10:30 p.m. 1/30/13

Here's an update on the outage from Tacoma Public Utilities:

"Down to about 1,000 people without power. Should have another update in about an hour. If you don't have power, hang in there. We are working on it!"

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UPDATE 8 p.m. 1/30/13

From Tacoma Public Utilities:

Damage from a pole fire that caused an outage in the Lakewood area means that about 1,600 customers may not have power tonight.

"Bad news," the utility wrote on its Facebook page. "The damage to our system was worse than we originally thought."

Tacoma Power crews are working to restore service to as many people as possible, but must replace the pole and equipment that burned. It will take the longest to restore service to people who live in this area of Lakewood: 

• 70th Street SW to 87th Street SW and
• 63rd Avenue SW to Phillips Road SW

Crews will work through the night to fix the damage.

Tacoma Power will keep our Facebook and Twitter sites updated with current information.

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UPDATE 1/30/13 7 p.m. 

A West Pierce Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said that the power loss is due to a main power line that caught fire. The fire was extinguished but crews are now on other calls. 

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There are many dark windows in the South Sound tonight after a pole fire caused power outages on JBLM and in Steilacoom, University Place and south Tacoma, according to Tacoma Public Utilities on Facebook.

The outage was first reported at about 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening and crews expect to restore power by about 8:30 p.m. tonight, after replacing the pole.

Patch readers on the Lakewood-JBLM Facebook page say power has been restored, but blacked out traffic lights have created a headache around the Lakewood Towne Center.