Hours-long power outage darkens area traffic signals

A swath of Costa Mesa residents experienced a power outage Tuesday afternoon after a power line on Fair Drive short-circuited, Southern California Edison officials said.

From 1:43 to 4:17 p.m. an undetermined number of Costa Mesa customers went without electricity as Edison workers worked to restore power. The outage also darkened many traffic signals in the area.

The Costa Mesa police station and City Hall ran on back-up generators during the outage, officials said.

Homes between Harbor Boulevard and Santa Ana Avenue and between Wilson Street and Arlington Drive were affected. The problem has since been corrected, Edison officials said.

— Joseph Serna