Power Failure Blacks Out Much of Florida Gold Coast

A massive power failure sparked by a brush fire blacked out a 200-mile stretch of the tourist-rich Florida Gold Coast today, stranding people in elevators and leaving 3.5 million residents without electricity.

Florida Power & Light Co. officials said the 11:50 a.m. blackout covered an area on the southeast Florida coast from Palm Beach Gardens to Marathon in the center of the Florida Keys.

Air conditioners were knocked out in Miami high-rises, sending sweating office workers out into the 90-degree heat. Traffic quickly became a mess without signals, and the Florida Highway Patrol urged people to stay home.

At least two drawbridges connecting Miami Beach with the mainland were stuck in an open position, and 20 passengers aboard a Metro Rail train were stranded almost an hour until the car could be towed into a station.

An FP&L; spokesman said a Dade County brush fire overheated major transmission lines, forcing a dozen power plants to shut down automatically. The fire apparently was started Thursday night by lightning.

By 3:10 p.m., power was restored to 90% of the customers affected by the blackout, FP&L; spokesman John Baiar said. The remainder were expected to regain power throughout the afternoon.

Dozens of people were stranded in elevators in Miami’s business district, but fire officials said all were safely removed without injury. Thousands of workers milled about the downtown area, queuing up in long lines at hot-dog stands and ice cream parlors.

Major department stores closed and banks throughout the area were forced to shut their doors.

Metro police were stationed at critical intersections to keep traffic moving, and police opened an emergency communications command post.

Miami International Airport switched to emergency power and continued operations as did hospitals. Homestead Air Force Base also was blacked out and used auxiliary generators to provide power to certain areas of the base.