OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A fire at an electrical substation caused power outages Sunday at Oakland International Airport, knocking out power to 50,000 customers in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area, Oakland Fire Department officials announced.
The Oakland Fire Department responded to a fire call at a Pacific Gas & Electric property in the early afternoon and found a burning transformer, an unidentified department spokesperson said in a video shared on Twitter by the agency. . The fire has been extinguished.
The fire caused power outages in Oakland and Alameda. Pacific Gas & Electric estimated on its website that service would be restored overnight. Company spokespersons did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Oakland International Airport, which handles some 170 flights a day, was without power for nearly two hours, spokesman Roberto Bernardo told the San Francisco Chronicle. A few security lines remained open for baggage and passenger checks, according to KNTV. Social media showed many people gathering in the baggage claim area of the airport.
The outage also halted some public transportation to the airport and made traffic difficult on some highways.
At first it was not possible to contact airport spokespersons.