A fresh wave of utility disruptions hit Northwest Indiana on Thursday afternoon after a severed power line sparked traffic gridlock and knocked out power to thousands of already weary residents.
The incident occurred near the busy retail corridor at Indianapolis Boulevard and Main Street in Schererville, home to the Shops on Main and Highland Grove shopping centers. According to Schererville Police Chief Pete Sormaz, a power line snapped near the Old Navy storefront shortly before 2 p.m., severing lines and plunging neighborhoods south of Woodhollow Drive into darkness.
The immediate fallout was visible on the roads. Traffic signals went dark across key arteries, triggering major backups along both Indianapolis Boulevard and U.S. 30 as local police worked to manage the congestion.
Utility provider NIPSCO reported that the issue stemmed from a utility pole fire.
"At approximately 1:45 p.m., NIPSCO was notified of a pole fire near U.S. Highway 41 in Schererville," said NIPSCO Director of Communications Jessica Cantarelli. "Personnel are on-site to assist fire and first responders. The incident has resulted in additional outages affecting approximately 9,000 customers."
The breakdown added a significant burden to a regional grid already strained by severe weather earlier this month. Following the line break in the Tri-Town area, NIPSCO's total outages surged from roughly 63,000 to more than 78,000 customers system-wide.
By Thursday night, NIPSCO reported that while crews have restored service to more than 317,000 customers since severe storms struck on August 11, roughly 75,000 customers remained without power across its service territory—including nearly 17,500 non-storm outages tied to events like the Schererville fire.
Emergency officials and utility crews urge drivers to avoid the intersection of Indianapolis Boulevard and Main Street while repairs continue. The public is reminded to stay at least 50 feet away from any downed wire and to treat all fallen lines as live and energized.
Customers can track restoration progress and view real-time neighborhood outage maps at NIPSCO.com/Out.
