The San Juan County Communications Authority began experiencing phone line problems with its 911 emergency line about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and had calls rerouted to McKinley County.

“We don’t know what happened,” said Nicole Brown, director of the San Juan County Communications Authority, which operates the 911 system in the county.

“We are working to isolate the problem,” she said.

The issue started with cellphone calls not going through, and then, an hour later, Brown said it appeared the problem was with all types of phone calls coming into the center.

“We have a technician on site actively working on the problem,” Brown said, adding all San Juan County residents are being advised to call nonemergency dispatch, if they have an emergency. That number is (505) 334-6622.

Brown also said anyone calling in might get connected to an operator in McKinley County, but “they are getting accurate locations and relaying the information to us as quickly as possible.”