County courthouse goes dark

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Wednesday, Aug. 18, 1999 | 3:21 a.m.

line THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS - A failed transformer plunged the Clark County Courthouse into darkness, forcing officials to shut down operations and postpone trials.

Shortly before noon Wednesday, a Nevada Power Co. transformer supplying power to the courthouse failed. The failure cut all power to the courthouse and started a small fire in the electrical switching system.

No one was hurt and electricians were able to immediately douse the flames, said county spokesman Doug Bradford.

While most courtrooms were shut down, auxiliary generators continued to provide power to some areas until about 1 p.m. when a fuse blew, cutting lights to the rest of the courthouse, Bradford said.