City Hall Acting As Shelter For Downtown Sacramento Residents Evacuated Due To Power Outage

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — City hall was acting as a shelter for residents evacuated from several downtown Sacramento buildings after a fire at a SMUD substation resulted in a massive power outage Tuesday.

The scene was at the substation near H and 7th streets, next to the historic Old Folsom Powerhouse. the power outage affected everything within a six-block radius.

The City of Sacramento said elderly residents of a Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) building were evacuated as many require ventilators to breathe. Additionally, other high-rise buildings in the area with fire suppression systems that require power to operate were also evacuated.

While most are being offered shelter at city hall, the city said the most vulnerable evacuees are being placed in motels by the SHRA.

Sacramento Regional Transit is providing transportation for evacuees. However, SacRT said light rails in the downtown area would not be operating Tuesday night due to the power outage.

The city also said the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services and the Red Cross are offering aid and support during this time.

SMUD Tuesday afternoon said power is not expected to be restored until at least Wednesday.