Seven Injured as Wind Knocks Down Barricade

High winds in the Southland on Sunday downed power lines, fueled a brush fire and knocked down a construction barricade at Universal CityWalk, sending seven people to the hospital with minor injuries, authorities said.

The blustery conditions prompted the National Weather Service to issue a wind advisory for Los Angeles County through 9 a.m. today. Winds up to 55 mph were expected in mountain passes, while speeds in excess of 35 mph were forecast for the valleys.

The 8-foot-tall plywood construction barricade--located on the main corridor near the movie theaters--blew over about 4 p.m. at Universal CityWalk, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Blaine Talmo. Although the seven victims suffered sprains and bruises in the accident, they were taken to an area hospital as a precaution, authorities said.

High winds also snapped a cable holding scaffolding above the Vincent Thomas Bridge about 6:50 p.m., closing the westbound lanes between San Pedro and Terminal Island. The scaffolding was being used to retrofit the 6,000-foot structure.

Gusts reaching 70 mph also led to power outages, primarily on the coast from Long Beach to Santa Monica, said Gil Alexander, a spokesman for Southern California Edison. No estimate on the number of outages was available, but about 140 people had called the utility, he said.

The winds also helped whip up a brush fire about 3:20 p.m. in El Sereno and another in Mission Hills, said a Los Angeles city fire spokesman. No injuries or property damage were reported.