30,000 Florida Keys Customers Lose Power After Sailboat Gets Stuck In Transmission Lines

KEY WEST (CBSMiami/AP) -- A major power outage in the lower Florida Keys is being blamed on a sailboat which got stuck in transmission lines on Monday morning, officials said.

The electricity went out for about 30,000 customers shortly before 9:30 a.m., Julio Torrado, spokesman for Keys Energy Services, told the Miami Herald.

The company said in a Facebook post that the sailboat got stuck about a half mile from the north end of the Seven Mile Bridge.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said a Marathon Fire Rescue crew was removing people from the sailboat about 10:30 a.m. Monday. It was unknown whether there were any injuries to those on the sailboat.

Once the sailboat is removed, the power can be restored.

A similar incident involving a sailboat hitting transmission lines next to the Seven Mile Bridge happened in October 2018, the newspaper reported. That incident also knocking out power to about 30,000 homes.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.