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  • Thousands temporarily lose power in Tuolumne County following transformer explosion, officials say

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    Tens of thousands of residents were without power across Tuolumne County due to an explosion near a power station, according to the sheriff’s office. No injuries have been reported.Just after 5 p.m. Friday, the PG&E outage map showed nearly 30,000 without power across the county, including 1,957 households in Sonora and 27,773 households in unincorporated areas. By 6 p.m., power had been restored to about half the affected population, with 15,420 customers without power across the county.Leer en español. By 7 p.m., power was restored for most customers in the area.The Tuolumne County Fire Department initially said its crews responded to a reported lithium-ion battery explosion at Pacific Ultrapower near Chinese Camp around 4:15 p.m. However, the sheriff’s office later said crews determined the explosion was connected with a transformer at ENGIE, a facility neighboring Ultrapower.In a news release, ENGIE said its Sierra Battery Storage facility experienced an electrical issue around 4 p.m. and some electrical circuits and equipment tripped at the facility. The company said there was no fire on-site. Steve Gross, president of Jamestown Energy, told KCRA 3 that the incident was not at their facility, but at an adjacent facility where there is an energy storage project with lithium-ion batteries. Gross said that the incident knocked out the main line, affecting Jamestown Energy’s ability to send out power.Cal Fire crews also responded this evening. A battalion chief said they are always on high alert when they hear the word “explosion.””We were told that there was black smoke and an explosion. And after investigating, we noticed that it was a transformer that had exploded. And from there we just mitigated the cause of it,” Jeffrey Cox, Cal Fire TCU battalion chief, said.Although there was no fire when they arrived, Cox said, the crews assisted in evacuating the facility to ensure everyone’s safety.The fire department said localized evacuations of the plant were conducted and all employees are accounted for. Those evacuation orders have since been lifted. The extent of the damage is unclear. The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office said there were no road closures or additional evacuations associated with the incident, but urged the public to avoid the area. The outage map shows the power loss was reported just before 4:30 p.m. Friday. ENGIE said its facility has been disconnected from the grid while technical experts are investigating the cause of the incident. KCRA 3 has reached out to PG&E for more information. Track PG&E power outages here. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    TUOLUMNE, Calif. —

    Tens of thousands of residents were without power across Tuolumne County due to an explosion near a power station, according to the sheriff’s office. No injuries have been reported.

    Just after 5 p.m. Friday, the PG&E outage map showed nearly 30,000 without power across the county, including 1,957 households in Sonora and 27,773 households in unincorporated areas. By 6 p.m., power had been restored to about half the affected population, with 15,420 customers without power across the county.

    Leer en español.

    By 7 p.m., power was restored for most customers in the area.

    The Tuolumne County Fire Department initially said its crews responded to a reported lithium-ion battery explosion at Pacific Ultrapower near Chinese Camp around 4:15 p.m. However, the sheriff’s office later said crews determined the explosion was connected with a transformer at ENGIE, a facility neighboring Ultrapower.

    In a news release, ENGIE said its Sierra Battery Storage facility experienced an electrical issue around 4 p.m. and some electrical circuits and equipment tripped at the facility. The company said there was no fire on-site.

    Steve Gross, president of Jamestown Energy, told KCRA 3 that the incident was not at their facility, but at an adjacent facility where there is an energy storage project with lithium-ion batteries. Gross said that the incident knocked out the main line, affecting Jamestown Energy’s ability to send out power.

    Cal Fire crews also responded this evening. A battalion chief said they are always on high alert when they hear the word “explosion.”

    “We were told that there was black smoke and an explosion. And after investigating, we noticed that it was a transformer that had exploded. And from there we just mitigated the cause of it,” Jeffrey Cox, Cal Fire TCU battalion chief, said.

    Although there was no fire when they arrived, Cox said, the crews assisted in evacuating the facility to ensure everyone’s safety.

    The fire department said localized evacuations of the plant were conducted and all employees are accounted for. Those evacuation orders have since been lifted.

    The extent of the damage is unclear.

    The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office said there were no road closures or additional evacuations associated with the incident, but urged the public to avoid the area.

    The outage map shows the power loss was reported just before 4:30 p.m. Friday.

    ENGIE said its facility has been disconnected from the grid while technical experts are investigating the cause of the incident.

    KCRA 3 has reached out to PG&E for more information.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Dramatic explosion caught on video destroys homes, injures six, officials say

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    A natural gas line leak triggered a dramatic explosion that destroyed a Bay Area home on Thursday, injuring six people and damaging several other properties.

    At least one person was inside the home before it was leveled in the blast. The individual managed to escape without injury, but six others were hurt, including three who suffered serious injuries, Alameda County Fire Department spokesperson Cheryl Hurd said.

    “It was a chaotic scene,” Hurd said. “There was fire and debris and smoke everywhere, power lines down, people self-evacuated from the home. … Someone was on the sidewalk with severe burns.”

    The leak started after a third-party construction crew working Thursday morning in the 800 block of East Lewelling Boulevard in Hayward struck a Pacific Gas and Electric underground natural gas line, according to a statement from the utility.

    Fire crews were first dispatched to the scene at 7:46 a.m. after PG&E reported a suspected natural gas leak, Hurd said. PG&E officials were already on scene when fire engines arrived, and reportedly told firefighters their assistance was not needed, Hurd said.

    Utility workers attempted to isolate the damaged line, but gas was leaking from multiple locations. Workers shut off the flow of gas at about 9:25 a.m., PG&E said in a statement.

    Fire crews were called back to the same address less than two hours later, where at least 75 firefighters encountered heavy flames and a thick column of smoke. Surrounding homes sustained damage from the blast and falling debris. Three buildings were damaged on two separate properties, according to fire officials.

    Six people were taken to Eden Medical Center, including three with severe injuries requiring immediate transport. Officials declined to comment on the nature of their injuries.

    Video captured from a Ring doorbell affixed to a neighboring house showed an excavator digging near the home moments before the explosion. The blast rattled nearby homes, shattered windows and sent construction crews running.

    Initially, authorities suspected that two people were missing after the blast. That was determined not to be the case, Hurd said.

    “They brought in two cadaver dogs looking to see if anyone was still trapped under the rubble, and the dogs cleared everything,” Hurd said.

    Officials with the Sheriff’s Office, PG&E and the National Transportation Safety Board are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to the explosion.

    In 2010, a PG&E pipeline ruptured in a San Bruno neighborhood, destroying 38 homes and killing eight people. California regulators later approved a $1.6-billion fine against the utility for violating state and federal pipeline safety standards.

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    Gavin J. Quinton

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