Utility Worker Error Blamed for Blackout

[cal04]

Utility Worker Error Blamed for Blackout That Cuts Power to Hundreds of Thousands in Los Angeles

Utility workers connected the wrong wires and caused a blackout across major portions of Los Angeles on Monday afternoon, trapping people in elevators and snarling traffic at intersections, authorities said. About 2 million people were affected by the resulting power surge and outages, which were reported from downtown west to the Pacific Coast and north into the San Fernando Valley.

Much of the power, which failed at about 12:30 p.m., was restored within less about 2 1/2 hours; all power was expected to restored by 5 p.m. Several workers who were installing an automated transmission system hooked up the wrong wires, according to Ron Deaton, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. "They connected it to another line that was not expecting that much electricity," he said. No injuries were reported.

Downtown high-rises went dark, fire officials said they received reports of people stuck in elevators, and stoplights went out at intersections across the city. Neighboring cities, including Burbank and Glendale, also were affected. The Police Department went on "full tactical alert," meaning no officers were allowed to leave work when their shifts were over. But calm prevailed in downtown Los Angeles around midday. Office workers took the opportunity for an extended lunch as police and fire sirens echoed in the background.

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[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[steely]

2. Hookup the blue, no - red wire.

I would be interested in knowing exactly what they did - for example, were the rerouting some big power directly, or were they hooking up some computer that controls the power indirectly - it's the geek in me.

[CHIMO]

3. Ha Ha

The call center in India gave them the wrong instructions.

How could anyone have foreseen this.