By Maggie Gordon

GUILDERLAND — The King’s Wok in 20 Mall stayed open until half-an-hour before its normal closing time Monday night, despite the six-hour-long power outage.

Cooks worked by candlelight and flashlight, combined with the few lights they had in a hot kitchen, without the fans that usually run on 90 degree days.
"There were a lot of customers at first," said Kevin Lo, a cashier at the Chinese restaurant. Many Guilderland eateries had been forced to close.

The King’s Wok was able to stay open for as long as it did because it uses gas ovens instead of electric. The women working at the register tallied up bills by hand.
"We probably closed about a half hour early," Lo said. "We couldn’t see any more. There was no light."

A few doors down, Price Chopper was operating its air conditioning and cash registers on a generator. The grocery store lacked the white noise and bright light that customers are usually greeted with, leaving the aisles silent and dimly lit.

About 6,500 people in the Capital District were without power on Monday night between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and midnight, according to Steve Brady, a spokesperson for Niagara Mohawk.
"Over the last few days, we’ve had a steady number of very small outages throughout the Capital Region because of the very high temperatures and very high customer demand," said Steve Brady, a spokesman for Niagara Mohawk. Many residents have been using air conditioners in the heat wave.

Monday’s outage did not fall into the same category as the other, smaller, outages in the area.
"Monday’s was due to a fire on the [utility] pole," Brady said. "The equipment overheated, and the pole just caught fire." Brady went on to explain that the pole overheated due to the increased demand.
"Air conditioning contributes to the problem," he said. "Moreso lately than normally, because it didn’t get that cool at night, so air conditioners continued to operate.
"Higher customer demand creates more heat," he said. "And it puts more strain than normal on our system."

Lt. Curtis Cox of the Guilderland Police Department said that five or six traffic lights were out of commission due to the outage. Police responded to the intersections in need of traffic direction as soon as possible, Cox said.
"There are a few that were able to operate with generators," he said. "Route 155 and 20; Willow Street and 20; and 146 and 20.
"We maintained increased patrols and availability in case of accidents, and responded to calls," Cox said.

Brady encourages citizens to conserve energy, even on the smallest scale.
"It’s not possible to completely prevent outages, but in situations where you get several days of very warm temperatures, and very high customer demand, certainly even modest conservation can help the overall situation," he said. "Turning the thermostat up on air conditioners, even just a few degrees can help. Residents can keep curtains and shades closed during the day to keep a home cooler. Offices can shut off unnecessary equipment such as computers and copiers. Even those small steps will help the problem."
Cox advises citizens to be safe if a power outage occurs. "Be prepared with a battery-operated radio, and flashlights. If people choose to use candles, they need to use them very carefully," he said. "You should clear things away from stoves and turn stoves off because, when the power comes back on, you could have forgotten about it and there may be a fire."