Winds knock out power to 10,000

Nearly 10,000 residents in neighborhoods across Los Angeles were without electricity Christmas Eve, as gusting winds downed power lines and destroyed transformers, city and fire officials said.

Winds clocked at up to60 mph wreaked havoc Monday evening in Granada Hills, North Hills, West Los Angeles, Bel-Air and other areas, leaving Christmas trees darkened and families to wrap presents by flashlight.

Emergency crews were being dispatched to bolster regular staffing levels, but there was no estimate as to how long the outages would last, said Carol Tucker, a spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Water and Power.

-- Joel Rubin