FIRE crews were called to a false alarm at the telephone exchange last night.
Social media users reported power cuts across the city, although many said their lights only "flickered" rather than going out.
It was then rumoured that a fire had started at the telephone exchange on Scots Lane.
But a spokesman for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said a small power cut in the Scots Lane area caused the standby generators at the phone exchange to kick in, and release smoke.
Crews from Salisbury and Amesbury were called at 10.47pm, along with an aerial appliance and a supporting crew from Hampshire.
A spokesman for the fire service said it was "a false alarm with good intent".
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