Hundreds of people across the Borderland got an unwelcome surprise Friday morning when the lights simply did not come on. Power outages were reported in Anthony, New Mexico, along with scattered pockets in Canutillo and northeast El Paso, cutting electricity to homes, small businesses, and even some traffic signals right in the middle of the morning commute. Utility crews fanned out across the area to track down the problem spots and get service restored.
According to KFOX14, El Paso Electric’s outage map showed that “hundreds are without power” in Anthony, with additional outages on the west side near Canutillo and in northeast El Paso. As of Friday morning, the utility had not confirmed what caused the trouble or exactly how many customers were affected. KFOX reported that El Paso Electric crews were working to reroute power to impacted circuits “as quickly and safely as possible” to bring customers back online.
Where outage clusters appeared
Online outage trackers and El Paso Electric’s own public map showed concentrated pockets of outages centered around Anthony, with smaller hotspots near Canutillo and in northeast El Paso. The pattern pointed to localized circuit or equipment issues rather than a full system failure. Real-time aggregators that pull El Paso Electric data displayed the same clusters as crews moved through the area responding to calls, according to PowerOutage.us.
What officials are doing and how to report it
El Paso Electric’s outage center explains that field teams start by securing the area for safety, then reroute power around damaged equipment whenever possible before making permanent repairs to restore service. The utility posts restoration updates and step-by-step customer guidance on its outage pages. For details on how to report an outage and how the restoration process works, the company outlines its dispatch and repair coordination at its outage center and power-restoration overview, according to El Paso Electric.
Safety tips for people without power
Safety officials and relief organizations are reminding residents to steer clear of any downed power lines and to report them immediately, not try to move them. They also urge people to use flashlights instead of candles and to run portable generators only outdoors and away from windows to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. To keep food from spoiling, the American Red Cross recommends keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible and making a backup plan for anyone who relies on electrically powered medical equipment, according to the American Red Cross.
Local pattern to watch
Friday’s blackout is not an isolated incident. El Paso has already seen multiple interruptions this month; a mid‑January outage on the west side affected roughly 10,000 customers and showed how crews can be stretched thin during back‑to‑back incidents. That earlier outage was reported by ABC7/KVIA, which detailed the restoration work carried out by utility workers…