A power outage in Butler left 291 customers of FirstEnergy without electricity Thursday afternoon, March 5. The outage included the Butler County Government Center and nearby facilities.

Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche said the power company reported that a transformer blew, leaving the government center operating on emergency power. People working at the center were being sent home.

“My understanding is department heads are releasing staff. They’re trying to get everyone out of the building who can,” Osche said. “The power company told us 6 o’clock, but it might be later than 6. There’s only so much our staff can do on emergency power.”

As of 3:30 p.m. Thursday, there were also 55 customers in Center Township without power, and seven in East Butler, according to FirstEnergy.

The electric company listed 6 p.m. as the expected time for power to be restored.