News Summary
A significant power outage in San Bernardino affected approximately 17,000 customers following a locomotive striking electrical equipment. The San Bernardino City Unified School District closed 14 schools due to the outage and rising temperatures, prioritizing student safety. While St. Bernardine Medical Center continued operations, traffic disruptions were reported due to inoperable stoplights. The outage marks the second consecutive day of disruptions in local schools. Authorities are monitoring the situation as they work to address issues and improve infrastructure to prevent future occurrences.
San Bernardino, California experienced a significant power outage early Tuesday morning, impacting approximately 17,000 customers. This incident was triggered when a locomotive struck equipment connected to the electrical grid at around 5 a.m. Southern California Edison stated that power was fully restored by noon the same day.
The San Bernardino City Unified School District announced the closure of 14 schools for the day, citing the outage alongside rising temperatures as the main reasons. Schools affected include Chávez, Salinas, Shandin Hills, Kendall Complex, Holcomb, Hillside, North Park, Cajon High School, Palm, Vermont, North Verdemont, Kimbark, Newmark, and Muscoy. Parents were promptly notified and urged to collect their children as soon as possible.
With temperatures forecasted to peak in the high 90s and even reach triple digits, district officials expressed concerns regarding student safety due to the lack of adequate ventilation in many classrooms. Although a majority of the district’s campuses remained operational during the outage, the extreme heat prompted preemptive safety measures.
According to Capt. Shawn Millerick of the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the power outage was caused when an Edison transmission line fell onto the BNSF locomotive while it was in the rail yard on 4th Street. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries resulting from the incident. Meanwhile, Sgt. Christopher Gray from the police department reported significant traffic disruptions in northern San Bernardino, as many stoplights were non-functional due to the loss of power.
Despite the outage affecting many residents and institutions, St. Bernardine Medical Center continued to operate normally. In another notable aspect of this incident, it marked the second consecutive day that power outages impacted schools in the region, as classes were previously canceled in the Bear Valley Unified School District as well.
Southern California Edison’s outage website registered five separate outages occurring within the county at approximately 5:08 a.m. However, a representative stated that this multiple reporting may have resulted from a data entry error rather than an indication of distinct incidents.
Classes at the affected schools are expected to resume on Wednesday, pending any further developments. The quick response from the power utility and school district aimed to ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff during the disruptive circumstances.
The authorities continue to monitor the situation, addressing any lingering issues stemming from the outage. As the community recovers from this incident, residents remain hopeful that infrastructure improvements will help prevent similar occurrences in the future.
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Additional Resources
- ABC7 News
- Wikipedia: San Bernardino, California
- San Bernardino Sun
- Google Search: San Bernardino power outage
- NBC Los Angeles
- Encyclopedia Britannica: San Bernardino
- Spectrum News 1
- Google News: San Bernardino school closures
- KTLA News
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