Almost 2,000 homes were left without power after an incident blamed on a “lightning” strike in Co Antrim.
The outage in the Ballymoney area was reported on Sunday afternoon, amid a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms issued by the Met Office.
Northern Ireland Electricity Networks initially said 2095 homes were without power when the incident was reported shortly before 4pm, with power expected to be restored by 7pm.
“The repair team is on its way,” a notice on the NIE Networks website said on Sunday, adding: “The fault is due to lightning causing damage to the network.”
In a post to the X platform, a NIE Networks spokesperson said: “We have dispatched engineers to the area to begin investigations. We will do our best to have this resolved as soon as possible for everyone affected.”
Firefighters were called to the scene of a blaze at an electricity network utility pole in the Ballymoney area. However, a spokesperson for the NI Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire was quickly put out and early indications were it could have been caused by a fault.
An NIE Networks spokesperson confirmed to the Irish News on Sunday they understood the cause of the outage to be the result of lightning.
“Due to a lightning strike making contact with an electricity pole approximately 2,000 customers in the Ballymoney area experienced a loss of electricity supply shortly before 4pm today,” they said.
“NIE Networks engineers responded to the fault immediately and power was restored to almost all customers affected by 5pm with only 4 customers remaining off supply while permanent repair work is carried out. We would remind the public to maintain safety around any damaged electricity equipment and never approach a broken pole or electricity line and report any damage immediately on our Customer Helpline 03457 643 643.″
The Met Office said Sunday’s weather warning for thunderstorms accompanied by heavy showers was in place between 12 noon and 7pm.
A spokesperson said there was a “slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost”, adding that damage was possible as a result of “floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds”.
A yellow warning for rain is also in place for eastern parts of the north between 12 noon on Monday to 6am on Tuesday, with 15-30 mm of rainfall expected in some parts, and up to 50-60 mm in the Mournes area of Co Down.
Meanwhile, firefighters have extinguished a gorse fire in the foothills of the Mournes.
The blaze was reported in the Leitrim Road area outside Hilltown on Sunday afternoon.
A NIFRS spokesperson said: “The fire has now been extinguished, and crews will remain in the area to damp down. We are still appealing to the public to avoid the area completely to allow us to resolve the incident safely.”