SHERMAN OAKS : Explosion Leads to Power Failure
High temperatures and the heavy electrical demand caused by air conditioners fighting the heat wave helped cause an explosion in an underground cable vault Monday, leaving about 2,000 Sherman Oaks residences without power, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said.
“This time of year, when there are consecutive days of high temperatures, equipment underground can overheat because of the heavy customer use and the inability of equipment to cool off during the night because of the high temperatures,” DWP spokesman Ed Freudenburg said.
“If there is already a problem with the equipment, this kind of heat stress can lead to failure.”
A junction box, which connects several circuits, exploded in the vault beneath Royal Woods Drive, in the hills between the San Diego Freeway and Sepulveda Boulevard, about 5:20 p.m., Freudenburg said.
About 400 customers lost power, and DWP workers shut down electricity to 1,600 others to work on the problem, Freudenburg said.
Service was restored to 600 customers by 8 p.m. and was expected to be returned to others as the night progressed.
The cause of the failure will be investigated, Freudenburg said.
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