Community Corner

UPDATE: Power Restored To All But 7 Customers

PG&E reports power restored to 1,420 customers after a transformer exploded on Stafford Drive.

The power outage in Cupertino that caused more than 1,400 customers to be without power most of Sunday night is being blamed on a transformer malfunction, a PG&E spokesperson confirmed.

Neighbors in the area of Stafford Drive where the transformer blew reported seeing a PG&E truck about 20 minutes before flashes of light and an explosion were heard from the failed transformer. But there had already been an outage for only eight customers before a transformer blew it's lid, said Monica Tell, spokeswoman for Pacific Gas & Electric.

"We already had crews going to the area to find out why customers were out," Tell said.

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The initial outage for the eight customers is related to the blown transformer, Tell said, but the cause of the failure is still under investigation.

The most likely cause would be overload, Tell said. During the warmer weather more customers are using air conditioning, televisions and other energy-heavy appliances.

Find out what's happening in Cupertinowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It just adds to the load," Tell said.

The Seven Springs station of the Santa Clara County Fire Department responded to an alarm that came in at 10:07 p.m. Sunday, arrived at the scene by 10:14 p.m. and were finished by 10:20 p.m.

The outage however lasted through the night and into Monday morning with several customers complaining that they still had no power after 9:30 a.m.

At about 11:30 a.m. Monday, Tell said about seven customers were still without power and it was unclear when power would be restored. At its peak 1,427 customers were without power.


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