Heat blamed for transformer explosion, resulting power outage in Glendale

A power transformer exploded on Wednesday in Glendale because of the sweltering heat and caused a widespread outage that left thousands of residents without electricity for several hours, according to authorities.

The outage affected roughly 80% of Glendale Water & Power customers, according to city spokeswoman Eliza Papazian. The utility company oversees approximately 80,000 meters in the city.

Papazian said a transformer at the Rossmoyne Substation became overheated and exploded at about 11 a.m.

“[Transformers] generally fail during high heat, but what’s unusual was that it led to other issues,” she said.

According to the National Weather Service the temperature in Glendale was already in the mid-90s by the time the explosion occurred and the Southland as a whole was in the middle of a heatwave, with some areas reaching into the low 100s.

Although utility crews were able to restore service for most of the city within the hour, a second outage occurred in the afternoon that left roughly 11,000 residents in the northern part of the city without power until 7:30 p.m.

Transformers are regularly maintained and inspected by the utility company, according to Papazian, but she couldn’t say how often inspections are made. It’s also unknown when the last time the exploded transformer was evaluated.

The outage had a ripple effect across the city.

Firefighters responded to at least 25 calls of people being trapped in stuck elevators, according to department spokeswoman Anita Shandi.

Tahnee Lightfoot, a spokeswoman for the police department, said the outage also knocked out power to traffic lights and required officers to direct traffic.

The city also directed residents without power to several cooling centers as a way to escape the heat.