Emergency 911 service was cut for more than two hours in Cochise County Wednesday after a contractor cut an underground fiber optic line in the Whetstone area.
The disruption, which started about 9 a.m. affected all cell phone service, all residential 911 service, some Internet service, some law enforcement radio frequencies and some business security systems.
All of Cochise County, 6,200 square miles with 126,000 residents, was affected, said Carol Capas, a spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.
The Sierra Vista Police Department was able to install a temporary patch in its 911 system, though it operated without caller identification. The Sheriff's Department routed 911 calls through Sierra Vista until its service was restored about 12:15 p.m., Capas said.
Qwest technicians are working to repair the line and Capas said a full recovery for all communication systems was expected by about 2 p.m. Wednesday.
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Capas said there were no other major problems associated with the disruption.
