OXFORD – More than 1,000 Central Maine Power Co. accounts were left in the dark Wednesday after a transformer failed on Norway Road, said John Carroll, manager of public affairs at CMP.

Homes and businesses didn’t have power from about 8 to 9:30 a.m., Carroll said.

The power outage affected the SAD 17 central offices, Guy E. Rowe and Madison Avenue elementary schools.

At Madison Avenue School in Oxford, while the power was out, students moved to rooms with windows and worked by daylight. Land-line phones there were also out, but they were able to use cellular phones to communicate.

“Parents called and asked if we were going to send kids home,” said Principal Jane Fahey. “We said, ‘Why? We’re learning.'”

At Rowe in Norway, emergency lights clicked on so students weren’t greatly affected. The power worked by lunchtime, said Principal George Sincerbeaux.

Superintendent Mark Eastman said the outage caused problems with the office phone, but otherwise no major issues arose.