Avista: more than 10,000 customers remain without power; transmission damage limits capacity

Heather Rosenfroeder, president and CEO of Avista, briefed officials on utility impacts, restoration priorities and safety measures following the Spokane complex fires.

"We currently have, just over 10,000 customers that are out of power," Rosenfroeder said, adding that at the peak more than 30,000 customers had outages. She said transmission damage in parts of West Spokane is limiting the system's capacity until two lines are repaired and that crews and mutual-aid teams are starting repairs as access is granted.

Rosenfroeder also said roughly 5,300 natural gas customers remained without service; restoring gas requires safety inspections at individual homes and multiple crew visits to each property. Avista urged customers not to attempt to restore gas service themselves and recommended short-term conservation measures to reduce strain on the system, including lowering thermostats and limiting large-appliance use during peak hours.

The company said it will update its outage map and maintain communications as restoration work proceeds. Officials warned that timing could change based on fire activity and access limitations.