Oakland airport, 50K in Bay Area lose power due to fire

OAKLAND, Calif. — A power substation fire temporarily caused outages at the Oakland International Airport and left 50,000 customers around the east San Francisco Bay Area without electricity Sunday, Oakland fire officials said.

The Oakland Fire Department responded to a fire on Pacific Gas & Electric property in the early afternoon and found a transformer on fire, an unidentified spokesman for the Oakland Fire Department said in a video posted on Twitter. The fire has been extinguished.

The fire caused power outages in Oakland and Alameda. Pacific Gas & Electric’s website estimated power would be restored by mid-evening. Spokespeople did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.

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The Oakland International Airport, which serves about 170 flights a day, lost power for nearly two hours, spokesman Robert Bernardo told the San Francisco Chronicle. A few security lines remained open for screening, KNTV reported. Social media posts showed large crowds of people gathered at airport baggage claim.

The power outage also halted some public transportation to the airport and snarled traffic on other roadways.

Airport officials could not immediately be reached for comment.