COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Thousands of AEP Ohio customers are without power in south Columbus after equipment failed at an AEP substation.

The outage began around 6:15 p.m. Friday. According to a spokesperson for AEP Ohio, 7,800 customers are affected by the outage. Power should be restored around 9 p.m.

AEP Ohio said the outage was caused by equipment failure at their Merion substation. Crews are on site making the necessary repairs to restore power.