Local
Peninsula blackout affects 6,491 PG&E customers as BART reports major delays
A Tuesday afternoon power outage left nearly 6,500 Peninsula customers without electricity and disrupted BART service toward SFO. Coastal residents said the outage came amid several days of repeated interruptions, with some homes also at risk of losing water because they rely on electric well pumps.
A Pacific Gas and Electric outage cut power to 6,491 customers on the Peninsula Tuesday afternoon and caused major delays on BART’s Antioch line in both directions, including trains traveling to San Francisco International Airport.
PG&E reported the outage at 1:40 p.m. and estimated electricity would be restored by about 4:15 p.m. The utility said crews were working to locate damaged parts of the electrical system and make repairs safely. The cause of the outage was not specified.
The interruption added to a string of outages reported by residents of Montara, Moss Beach and El Granada. Montara resident Dan Page said power had gone out six times in the area over four days. One outage lasted through much of Monday night and ended around 5 a.m. Tuesday, he said.
Repeated outages can affect more than lighting and appliances in coastal communities, Page said. He estimated about 300 homes in Montara and Moss Beach use private wells, whose pumps need electricity to deliver water. Spotty cellular coverage can also make it harder for residents to communicate during an outage, he said.
Tuesday’s interruption was separate from possible Public Safety Power Shutoffs PG&E was preparing for later in the week. The utility said Monday it was monitoring an offshore-wind event forecast to run from Wednesday through Saturday. Elevated fire-weather conditions could lead to targeted shutoffs in some areas, PG&E said.