PORT ORCHARD — The Kitsap County Courthouse closed its operations today (Thursday, June 21) following an electrical outage at 9:20 a.m. this morning that shut down activities in most sections of the building.

The outage caused an air handling pump located in the basement of the building to overheat, said county spokesman Doug Bear.

The failing pump generated smoke in the basement and on the first floor. South Kitsap Fire and Rescue crews responded and declared the building safe, but due to the on-going power outage, the building was closed for the day. There were no injuries.

Puget Sound Energy crews are on-site making repairs, Bear stated in a news release. PSE estimates the repairs will be completed by 4:30 p.m. Once they finish, he said, facilities crews we will restart building systems to see if there are any other issues.

Individuals taking part in Superior Court operations on Friday should make note of the following:

• Parties intending to confirm their Friday morning calendar matters by noon on Thursday should appear promptly at 9 a.m. in the designated courtroom. Parties unable to confirm their 1:30 p.m. calendar matters are directed to contact Court Administration at 360-337-7140 as early as possible on Friday morning. Bench copies should be provided as early as practicable for 1:30 p.m. calendars.
• Parties on the Thursday morning 10:30 a.m. criminal calendar are directed to contact their appointed public defender to arrange a rescheduled date with the Prosecutor’s Office. First-appearance defendants should reschedule with the Prosecutor’s Office directly.
• All other parties may contact the Kitsap County Clerk’s Office on Friday morning for further scheduling questions.

For District Court scheduling, contact the District Court Clerk’s Office at 360-337-7109 as soon as possible on Friday morning.