UPDATED— Jan. 17, 3:28 p.m.
Power has now been completely restored.
UPDATED — Jan. 17, 2:19 p.m.
Hydro One is now estimating the remaining outage will last until roughly 5 p.m. as additional problems have been encountered. Areas that are still affected by the outage are Blezard Valley, Hanmer, and Capreol.
Original Story — Problems with a Hydro One transmission line cut electricity to more than 7,600 residents in the northern end of the city on Jan. 17.
The outage happened around 10:10 a.m., after the line automatically shut down when there was a break in insulating material.
With temperatures around 12 degrees below zero, homes can become cold within a few hours, Red Cross representative David St. Georges said.
He said it was important that people close doors to drafty or cold rooms to conserve heat and dress warmly — without dressing in constrictive clothing — to stay warm.
St. Georges also warned people who intend to use portable heating devices to not use any that give off fumes, such as propane heaters.
Roughly 3,000 residents in parts of Val Caron, Val Thérèse, Hanmer, Garson, Azilda, Chelmsford and Skead had power back by noon. The remaining residents should have their power back by 2 p.m., Daniele Gauvin, spokesperson for Hydro One, said.
"Our Martindale transmission line affects a wide area around Sudbury," Gauvin said. "Sometimes in the winter, lines will be hit with a tree or an animal. (The power) shuts itself off automatically and our crews go out and make sure everything's OK before they turn it back on and sometimes have to do repairs."
While the area affected by the outage is large, not everyone is affected.
The Valley East and Garson Citizen Service Centres and Libraries are closed due to the power outages. People can phone the Valley East branch at 705-969-5565 and the Garson branch at 705-688-6957 after 3 p.m. to see if the branches will re-open.
Check back with NorthernLife.ca for updates as they become available. 
