Natural Gas Outage in Ashland Affects Double the Estimated Figure

SEATTLE (Oil Monster):  UPDATE (5:15 p.m.)

Avista Utilities has amended their earlier estimate of the number of customers affected by the gas outage from 2,300 people to roughly 4,500 customers.

The estimated restoration time of two to three days remains unchanged.

UPDATE (2:00 p.m.)

Avista Utilities estimates Ashland's natural gas outage will take two to three days to fully restore, according to a recent update released by the gas company.

"The outage appears to have resulted from a decrease in pressure in the natural gas pipeline," Avista confirmed in the same release.

As crews work to repair the issue, additional customers may be impacted by having their gas temporarily turned off, "before an Avista service person comes to relight the natural gas service. This is done for the safety of our customers, communities, and employees, but we understand that this is an inconvenience and appreciate the patience of our customers."

The City of Ashland has notified its residents that approximately 2,300 customers are without natural gas, serviced by Avista.

The area affected is primarily between the Ashland airport and downtown. The outage is likely due to low pressure.

The timeline for restoring system pressure to customers is uncertain, and the gas company has indicated that it could be out for some time as crews are being sent from various locations in the Northwest to assist in restoring full service.

According to Avista, the company is "actively working on restoring" natural gas to its customers. News 10 anticipates an update from Avista later today with more details on the outage.

 Courtesy: www.ktvl.com