From the traffic lights downtown at 4th Avenue and Main Street west to Lake Terrell and as far south as Slater Road, 1843 residences and businesses lost power for about 40 minutes morning between 9am.
Puget Sound Energy said that as of 9:25am, the cause was still under investigation.
About the same time, Whatcom County Fire District 7 firefighters were dispatched to the Ferndale Police station after it had been evacuated due to the smell of gas. City staff said it was initially suspected generators in the building that began running due to the power outage may be the cause.