USA, California, Saratoga: Power was restored to more than 20,000 PG&E customers in Saratoga after a fire broke out at a local substation on 24 December.
The incident, which is now under investigation, started and then put itself out shortly after 8.30 a.m. Smoke from the substation could be seen from as far away as the Cupertino Hills. The outage came just days after another substation fire in San Francisco, making the disruption feel particularly frustrating for residents during the holiday period.
For many in Saratoga, the outage was an unwelcome surprise on Christmas Eve. Residents reported clocks going blank, music stopping and online meetings being cut short as homes and businesses suddenly lost power.
PG&E confirmed that the fire was caused by an equipment failure within the substation. According to the utility, the fire remained contained to one area and did not spread beyond the affected equipment, but the damage was enough to trigger widespread outages.
The loss of power affected tens of thousands of customers, including shops and businesses near downtown Saratoga. Some stores were forced to close temporarily, while others waited for electricity to return so they could continue normal operations.
Initial estimates suggested power would be restored by around 2 p.m. However, about 7,000 customers had electricity back within the first hour, and all affected customers were reconnected by noon.
PG&E said crews were fully staffed to respond quickly, especially with storms expected in the area. The cause of the fire is still being examined, and officials said the community was fortunate the situation did not escalate further.
Source: ABC7 News
