ANDOVER — A thunderstorm that swept through town shortly before 8 last night knocked several trees and large branches across power lines and streets, knocking out electricity to dozens of homes while blocking access to some roads.
More than two hours later, 220 homes were still without power, according to National Grid spokeswoman Debbie Drew.
"We certainly had some issues when the storm hit," Drew said.
No figures were immediately available on the number of homes that were in the dark at the peak of the outage. National Grid repair crews and town Department of Public Works employees were still working to restore power and clear away debris late last night.
A tree limb fell across power lines at 180 Woburn St. at about 7:39 p.m. At about the same time, a tree blocked part of the road at 52 Jenkins Road, police said. The storm also knocked a tree across the road at 425 S. Main St.
Similar problems were also reported in several other parts of town. A tree fell across Route 125, about a mile and a half south of the state police barracks.
Police responded to a 911 emergency call reporting a tree branch had fallen on top of a tent at Camp Lorraine, at 155 Jenkins Road. "We got as far as the entrance, and camp people said they were all set. Nobody got hurt," Lt. Lee Britton said.
While torrential rains fell throughout the area, no other surrounding communities reported similar problems.
