Jul 8, 2009 10:37 pm US/Pacific
Massive Power Outage Hits West Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Police Department Has Issued A Tactical Alert
Covering The Portion Of West L.A. Struck By The Power Outage.
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
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A Department of Water and Power transformer failure in West Los Angeles tonight caused a power failure and heavy traffic congestion along Santa Monica Boulevard.
CBS
A Department of Water and Power transformer failure in West Los Angeles tonight caused a power failure lasting more than two hours and causing heavy traffic congestion along Santa Monica Boulevard.
Department of Water and Power spokeswoman Stephanie Interiano said the outage started around 7:40 p.m. Wednesday and affected about 20,500 customers. Power was restored shortly before 10 p.m.
Police in the West Bureau went on tactical alert to deal with the traffic problems and darkened streets, said Los Angeles police Officer Karen Rayner.
Power was knocked out from the Santa Monica (10) Freeway north to
Wilshire Boulevard, and from Sepulveda Boulevard west to the border with Santa Monica, Los Angeles police Officer Karen Rayner said.
Police urged the public to stay out of West Los Angeles, where a massive
traffic tie up was developing because traffic lights were out in the area, Rayner said.
KCAL9 reported that Santa Monica Boulevard in particular was suffering
horrendous traffic problems. Meanwhile, police say traffic lights are out, snarling traffic across Brentwood, Westwood and other neighborhoods in the area.
Fire Department spokesman Lauren deRosier says that firefighters have responded to 13 reports of people trapped in elevators within 30 minutes.
The Los Angeles Fire Department was called to the transformer near
Nebraska and Cotner avenues at 7:47 p.m., the department's Lauren deRosier said.
The power outage was the second incident of the day to snarl traffic in the area. The Getty Center fire increased congestion earlier.
It's not immediately clear how many people are without power. LADWP officials have not returned calls seeking information.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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