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ANDERSON COUNTY - The Anderson County Emergency Services/Public Safety Division opened three emergency cooling stations in the Piercetown area about 2,200 people were left without power in 100-plus degree weather on Saturday.

Eight people showed up in at least one of the three emergency cooling stations - the Hopewell Fire Department, the Piercetown Fire Department and the Powdersville Library - said Anita Donley, public information officer for the Anderson County Emergency Services/Public Safety Division.

Donley said she received reports that the temperature got up to 103 degrees on Saturday, and officials realized that some residents would need relief from the heat.

The outage lasted from about noon-4 p.m., according to Terry Ballenger, manager of communications with Blue Ridge Electric Coop.

"There was a malfunction in one of the regulators inside the substation," Ballenger said. Officials don't believe the malfunction was heat related, but that the problem came with the original manufacturing of the regulator, he said.

The cooling stations opened at about 3 p.m. and remained open until after the power came back on, according to Donley.