More than 2,100 Seattle City Light customers in West Seattle, White Center and South Park lost power Wednesday after a solid-waste truck reportedly struck and pulled down utility wires near 16th Avenue SW and SW Myrtle Street. The blackout left homes and some businesses in the dark while repair crews and emergency responders rushed in, and police briefly shut down the intersection so workers could safely assess the damage.
On Wednesday, Seattle City Light listed the outage as active on its online map, showing an affected zone across parts of the south end and more than 2,100 customers without electricity. The utility’s outage page also offers estimated restoration timelines when available and lets customers sign up for outage alerts.
According to West Seattle Blog, the power cut followed shortly after the truck took down the wires near 16th and Myrtle, prompting police to close the intersection. The outlet reported that City Light crews and officers staged on the Myrtle hill around 17th Avenue SW as work began to secure and repair the lines. At the time of those updates, officials had not yet provided a restoration estimate.
Traffic and Local Impacts
Drivers in the area were warned to expect detours and slowdowns while crews worked. Neighbors reported blocked streets and traffic backing up on the Myrtle hill during the outage. Anyone moving through the area should treat dark signals as four-way stops and build in extra time for buses, deliveries and other trips along the corridor. Some nearby businesses along the affected stretch may have been without power while repairs were underway.
Why Outages Like This Keep Happening
Vehicle strikes and falling branches are a familiar culprit in West Seattle outages, where many distribution lines still run overhead. Seattle City Light has been testing unplanned outage text and email alerts to speed communication with customers, as described on its Powerlines blog, and the utility says those tools are expected to cover larger outages over time. Longer-term work on grid upgrades and vegetation management is part of its broader reliability plans.
Customers in the affected neighborhoods are encouraged to keep an eye on the outage map for restoration updates and to sign up for alerts. People traveling through the Myrtle hill area should follow posted detours and any directions from officers on scene. For early on-the-ground reporting and photos from the intersection, see West Seattle Blog. This story will be updated if Seattle City Light releases a restoration time or additional details.
