A sudden lightning strike early Thursday morning lit up a Portland General Electric substation on 19th Avenue near Davis Street in Cornelius, knocking out power to large swaths of western Washington County. Flames burned on a single piece of substation equipment as firefighters and utility crews moved in, briefly closing traffic in the area while PGE checked damage and figured out how to safely bring the grid back online.
We’re responding to multiple incidents related to the current lightning storm. One incident is at the @portlandgeneral substation on 19th Ave near Davis St. It has caused a fire on a piece of equipment. There could be power outages to western Washington Co (Gales Creek/Banks area) pic.twitter.com/Nc6WhPxZKN
— Cornelius FD(Oregon) (@CorneliusFire) July 16, 2026
Substation Fire and Response
The Cornelius Fire Department said crews were “responding to multiple incidents related to the current lightning storm” and confirmed the fire was contained to a single piece of substation equipment. As reported by KPTV, PGE crews allowed that damaged component to burn off while they dealt with other storm-related calls, and firefighters noted the flames were not threatening the wider facility. Officials told residents there was no need to call 911 unless they were dealing with a separate emergency.
Outages and School Closures
Portland General Electric's outage map showed the heaviest impacts in rural western Washington County. According to The Banks Post, nearly 1,945 customers in the Banks ZIP code lost power, with hundreds more affected in Gales Creek, Forest Grove and Cornelius. That same local report noted crews had cleared the immediate scene by about 6:25 a.m. and that some customers had already been restored by then. The Banks School District said district facilities were without power and cancelled summer school for the day, closing offices and shifting staff to remote availability.
How to Check Outages and Stay Safe
If your lights are out, start by checking the outage map and reporting the problem through PGE's website or mobile app. For detailed safety tips and an overview of restoration steps, see Portland General Electric's outages and safety page. The utility advises customers to call 911 only for downed power lines, visible fire or other immediate dangers, and to use PGE's outage reporting tools for service disruptions. Keeping phones charged when possible and following local emergency channels can help you stay in the loop.
Crews worked through the morning to restore service, with final restoration times dependent on equipment repairs and access to rural lines. Officials asked residents across western Washington County to keep an eye on PGE updates and local advisories while repairs continue.
