 A power outage in downtown Bemidji brought the city's core to a standstill for a couple of hours today. The downtown lost power shortly before three this afternoon, leaving businesses, homes and streets without power. The power outage left many of the city's traffic lights dark, creating bumper to bumper traffic along Highway 197. While some employees waited outside, many downtown businesses had to close due to the unforeseen length of time they could be without power. For gas stations along Paul Bunyan Drive, the power outage could not have come at a worse time. I believe it's a busy time of the day. I mean, you know, from three to six on Fridays is normally a real crunch time, but it is what it is. People just are going to have to wait till the power comes back on and hopefully it'll come back on soon. Otter Tail Power says an estimated 640 downtown Bemidji customers were impacted by the power outage. Power was restored to most of the downtown area by five this evening. The cause of the outage remains unknown. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.