Downtown Power Outage Enters Third Day
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - More than 500 SMUD customers are still without power in downtown Sacramento on Thursday morning.
There are blocks where the power has been restored, but in Old Sacramento, it was completely dark Thursday morning -- and that's why there are emergency lights around the area.
Power isn't expected to be fully restored until Friday morning, SMUD says. Seniors living in the Riverview Apartments along 6th and I streets were shuttled to hotels on Wednesday night. The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment agency permitted the seniors to stay in their apartments on the first night of the outage, but a second night wasn't allowed, given the cold temperatures. The Sacramento Fire Department is conducting welfare checks on residents living in the affected area.
"The decision was made today. I don't know the particulars on it...I don't think the systems have back-up, aside from one elevator," said Dane Wilson, the family member of a resident at the facility.
The fire started on Tuesday and knocked out power to 1,300 customers.
SMUD says it's working with the city and others to facilitate hotel stays, food, and backup generators for businesses that rely on the power in order to operate and people whose medical devices rely on power as well.
There were concerns about the SMUD substation years before it caught fire. According to records from 2015, the substation was nearing the end of useful life and required replacement. In 2017, the site didn't meet safety regulations. It's unclear as to why those issues weren't addressed at the time.
SMUD says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.