Santa Ana : Some City Employees Get Unexpected Day Off
Some city employees got an unexpected day off Friday when a sheared electrical line caused a small fire in a panel box and cut off all power to City Hall, the central library and the Police Department.
Settling earth outside the Civic Center complex cut the line, which is the main power source supplying City Hall from a Southern California Edison Co. transformer, building maintenance superintendent Chuck Janiel said.
The fire, which started about 8:15 a.m., caused minimal damage, but all City Hall and central library employees were sent home later in the morning when it became clear that power could not be restored by the afternoon.
Most police operations were able to continue with the aid of emergency generators, but some of the Police Department’s administrative offices are located in City Hall and also were blacked out.
Work crews will have to drill deep into the concrete outside City Hall over the weekend to replace the power line, Janiel said.
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