12:11 PM: Power has been restored to nearly 400 PG&E customers who were affected by an outage in San Francisco’s South of Market District this morning, a utility spokesman said.
The outage, caused by a small fire on a power line, was reported shortly after 3:45 a.m. and affected 397 customers between Bryant and Townsend streets and Second and Fourth streets, PG&E spokesman Joe Molica said.
The fire, which occurred on lines near Fourth and Bryant streets, was caused by “a buildup of dust and pollution on the lines, and when you get heavy drizzle, it can form a mud-like mixture on the lines, and it conducts electricity above the power lines,” Molica said.
The fire was quickly extinguished and power was restored by 11:17 a.m. to the last 15 customers who were without power.
Molica said PG&E has a line-washing program that they usually do before the first rain after the summer months, but it had not been done before the unexpected precipitation overnight.
10:24 AM: A power outage affecting nearly 400 PG&E customers in San Francisco’s South of Market District this morning was caused by a small fire on a power line, and is expected to last until 11:30 a.m., a utility spokesman said.
The outage was reported shortly after 3:45 a.m. and is affecting 397 customers between Bryant and Townsend streets and Second and Fourth streets, PG&E spokesman Joe Molica said.
The fire, which occurred on lines near Fourth and Bryant streets, was caused by “a buildup of dust and pollution on the lines, and when you get heavy drizzle, it can form a mud-like mixture on the lines, and it conducts electricity above the power lines,” Molica said.
The fire was quickly extinguished and crews are working to get power restored to the customers by 11:30 a.m., he said.
Molica said PG&E has a line-washing program that they usually do before the first rain after the summer months, but it had not been done before the unexpected precipitation overnight.
