Transformer Blast Causes Blackout
An explosion in an electrical transformer Friday night knocked out power to 700 customers in Newport Beach near Hoag Hospital for more than an hour, a Southern California Edison spokesman said.
Electricity was lost at the hospital. Emergency generators automatically restored power, said Linda Weaver, a nursing supervisor.
“Everything here is fine,” Weaver said. “The lights flickered for an instant. It’s OK.”
The power outage occurred about 8:20 when the transformer at Placentia Avenue and Hospital Road exploded, police said. The power failure affected customers from 17th Street south to Hospital Road and from Newport Boulevard west to Placentia Avenue, Edison spokesman Jim Kennedy said. The cause of the explosion was unknown.
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