Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. officials have determined the cause of a brief power outage Oct. 14 in Columbia.

BGE spokeswoman Brenda Pettigrew said an underground cable was accidentally sliced by an independent contractor. The incident resulted in a loss of power for about 75 minutes for more than 940 customers around the Mall in Columbia.

Pettigrew said she did not know what kind of work the contractor was completing nor the name of the contractor.

Pub Date: 10/23/98