SOUTH FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — With some snow in the forecast, crews were out pre-treating the roads Sunday evening with salt and gravel.

But for some residents, the damage was already done when this afternoon’s high winds knocked down power lines. Many were left without electricity as temperatures plummeted.

Firefighters in South Franklin Township set up flares Sunday night to warn drivers about downed power lines along Deerfield Road.

“We have trees that came down across the high-tension lines. It snapped off on the roadway,” said Asst. Chief Fred Hutson, of the South Franklin Fire Department. “Right now, we’re just babysitting it. There’s a lot of outages in the area, so now it’s just a matter of waiting for the utility to get here to take care of things.”

When the power line came down, it knocked out electricity for about 50 homes in the area.

It happened at a bad time for customers because it happened as the Steelers were playing the Browns.

Some fans were lucky to have flashlights just to get around inside their homes, but Chuck and Carol Williamson didn’t miss a play. That’s because not long after the lights went out, he turned on his gas-powered generator.

“I took a little ride down the road and saw power lines down, tree coming over,” said Chuck Williamson. “I went back and told my wife, ‘Hey, it’s going to be a while/ Let’s turn the generator on.’ We were able to watch the game. We have some lights. We were able to use the stove.”

West Penn Power crews showed up to repair the downed lines.

Nearly 200 customers were without electricity in Washington County mostly due to high winds.

In Allison Park, a tree came down onto a car behind a business in the 1600-block of Duncan Avenue. The damage was not serious.

Dozens of customers in just about every county experienced scattered outages. Officials say that power should be restored to most of those affected by early Monday morning.

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