Power outage fries appliances

CITY HALL — Glendale Water & Power officials say they are investigating the cause of a Sunday power outage that left hundreds of homes without power and damaged some appliances and electric meters.

The approximately two-hour power outage started shortly after 4 p.m. and affected 600 homes and businesses, said city spokesman Ritch Wells.

Residents on Grange Street reported a loud explosion that damaged appliances, officials said.

“It is still under investigation,” Wells said. “We know we blew some fuses on a transformer, but are still investigating what caused this whole thing.”

The outage was bordered by Graynold Avenue, South Street, Columbus Avenue and Alexander Street, Wells said.

Grange Street resident Jolene Taylor said the explosion was accompanied by a bright flash and very loud booming sound that caused most of the street’s residents to run outside.

“I almost fell from the couch to the floor,” she said.

When the power came back on several hours later, Taylor’s air conditioning and heating unit no longer worked, and her television was fried. Her electrical meter also had to be replaced, she said.

Other residents on the street reported similar damage, prompting Glendale Water & Power officials to bring claim forms to the street first thing Monday morning.

Residents can fill out the forms and request reimbursement by the city, Wells said.

“It’s very unusual for an outage to impact homes like this,” Wells said. “We will expedite the processing of any of these claims.”

Animals, Mylar balloons or aging equipment are some of the typical causes of power outages in Glendale. In the most recent power reliability report to the Glendale Water & Power Commission, the average length of time for a power outage was 50 minutes, higher than the utility’s goal of 40 minutes.