El Cajon

A construction crew accidentally damaged three underground telephone cables Monday afternoon in El Cajon, disrupting service for several hours to as many as 60,000 East County Pacific Bell customers, a telephone company spokesman said.

Spokesman Tom McNaghten said customers in El Cajon, Lakeside, Santee, Alpine and Pine Valley were affected when one cable was severed and two others damaged by a private construction crew digging in the 1100 block of Murray Drive, across from Grossmont High School.

Callers from outside the area were unable to get through, while callers in the East County communities were likewise unable to place long-distance calls.

Local calls made in a community--within El Cajon, for example--were able to get through, though calls placed between communities--such as from Santee to El Cajon--in many instances were not, McNaghten said.

The cables were damaged at 12:50 p.m., and partial service was restored to most areas by 6:30 p.m. The telephone company expected to have full service restored to all areas by 8 a.m. today, the spokesman said.

Calls to emergency 911 numbers were not disturbed. A spokeswoman for the El Cajon Police Department said some 911 calls were delayed slightly, though response was not a major problem.