Falcon Touches Off Blackout in Alameda

A falcon with a chain on its neck broke loose from its master’s home and hit a power line Thursday night, blacking out the entire city of Alameda for about half an hour.

The bird was electrocuted, police said.

Power was restored to most areas of the city of 74,000 people across the bay from San Francisco in half an hour, although some sections remained in the dark for an hour or more, officers said.