Power outages prompt extended cooling center hours in Akron amid heat wave

The city of Akron has extended cooling center hours due to a service issue that started last night in the neighborhood of Goodyear Heights.

FirstEnergy notified the city about a transformer failing due to ongoing high temperatures. The utility will be bringing in a mobile substation to support the necessary repairs and replacement.

To manage the electrical load during this time, rolling blackouts may occur in the impacted area. If implemented, these outages will rotate on 90-minute intervals and could continue for up to 12 hours, depending on system demand and repair progress.

The focus is on the neighborhood around Brittain Road and Eastwood Avenue, specifically:• Brittain Road between Evans Avenue and East Market Street.• Eastwood Avenue between Arlington Ave. and South Avenue

First Energy will send text messages in the impacted area.

All cooling community centers are open and hours will be extended at the Summit Lake Community Center (380 W. Crosier St.), Balch St. Community Center (220 S. Balch St.) and Patterson Park Community Center (800 Patterson Ave.) until 9 tongiht

How many residents don’t have power?

According to FirstEnergy outage map, about 5,000 Summit County residences — including 3,596 in Akron — were without power as of 6 p.m.

When will power be restored in Akron?

Service is expected to be restored by 9 tonight, according to FirstEnergy.