- Heavy black smoke billowed from a substation which set on fire
- People described seeing the sky turn orange following a loud explosion
- Several towns are without power including parts of the capital of San Juan
- Six months after Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico, the island’s electricity had been restored to 75 percent capacity, according to its utility company
- But more than 400,000 power customers remain in the dark
A blackout hit northern Puerto Rico late Sunday after an explosion set off a big fire at a main power substation in the U.S. territory.
Officials with the island’s Electric Power Authority said several municipalities were without power, including parts of the capital of San Juan.
It was not immediately known what caused the fire, although officials said the explosion knocked two other substations offline and caused a total loss of 400 megawatts worth of generation.
Heavy black smoke billowed from an electricity substation as neighbors in the area described on social media seeing the sky turn orange following a loud explosion
It was not immediately known what caused the fire, although officials said the explosion knocked two other substations offline
‘We are trying to restore that as quickly as possible,’ the company said.
Heavy black smoke billowed from the substation as neighbors in the area described on social media seeing the sky turn orange following a loud explosion.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz tweeted that no injuries had been reported and that firefighters were on the scene.
The blackout comes as more than 400,000 power customers remain in the dark more than five months after Hurricane Maria.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz tweeted that no injuries had been reported and that firefighters were on the scene
An explosion triggered a major fire at an energy substation on the island
The fire was put out relatively quickly although several municipalities are without power, including parts of the capital, San Juan
The mayor of San Juan, Carmen Cruz, tweeted that no injuries were reported
The Category 4 storm destroyed two-thirds of the island’s power distribution system and caused up to an estimated $94 billion in damage.
Puerto Rico’s governor recently announced that he plans to privatize the state-owned power company, which is $9 billion in debt and relying on infrastructure nearly three times older than the industry average.
It would be the largest restructuring of a public entity in U.S. history.
Four months after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, workers are still restoring power
More than 400,000 power customers across Puerto Rico remain in the dark as a result of last summer’s hurricane