Fire leaves about 1,300 without electricity

A fire on a power line caused 1,355 Xcel Energy customers in Portales to lose electricity Friday night.

Xcel spokesman Wes Reeves said it appeared a lightning arrester failed in the 100 block of South Avenue E, causing the current to run onto the utility pole and start a fire. The fire burned the line and brought it down.

Reeves said the power went out about 11:25 p.m., and workers isolated the downed line and restored power to all but 27 customers by about 1:35 a.m. The last 27 had electricity restored about 5:10 a.m., when the line was fixed.