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A major power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation shut down the Oakland Airport in Northern California Sunday evening.
More than 50,000 customers in the Bay Area were impacted and flights out of the area were halted after a fire broke out at a Pacific Gas and Electric substation around 1pm.
Photos and videos posted on social media show stranded passengers at the airport waiting at their gates and to get through security which was shut down for hours.
A representative for PG&E confirmed the widespread outage on Twitter just after 2.50pm Pacific Standard Time and say they are ‘currently investigating the details.’
The cause of the outage is unknown at this time. The incident comes as a series of substations across the United States have been targeted by individuals looking to wreak havoc on the power system.
Photos and videos posted on social media show stranded passengers at the airport waiting at their gates and to get through security which was shut down for hours
An Oakland Fire battalion chief said Sunday the fire is under investigation by PG&E
Just after 3pm, a battalion chief with the Oakland Fire Department confirmed the blaze had been put out and that PG&E officials are working to determine a cause.
‘Approximately about one o’clock this afternoon we were called for a fire coming from inside the PG&E yard,’ the battalion chief said while speaking with local media.
‘We were able to gain access into the PG&E yard and found that there was a transformer actively burning,’ the Oakland Fire official said.
PG&E officials will have ‘to really look at all the equipment’ before a cause can be determined.
The damage had already been done, however, as hundreds of passengers were stuck at their gates and waiting in the security line due to the outage.
One video shared by a Twitter user named Matt Ashlock shows passengers at a standstill as security lines remain all but bare.
Incoming passengers also arrived to find that baggage claim was unavailable, resulting in even more hold ups inside the Northern California airport.
Just before 3pm, Ashlock tweeted that machines at security appeared to be back up and running and the line had begun moving again.
It’s unclear at this time how many flights were impacted by the outage.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit also cut down service to and from the airport Sunday due to the outage but resumed several hours later.
This is a map of the Bay Area, showing how many customers are without power after a fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric substation
Passengers were at a standstill throughout the Oakland Airport Sunday afternoon
This was the line for security Sunday afternoon at the Oakland Airport
This is the electric substation in Oakland where a fire broke out Sunday afternoon
Passengers waited for hours as officials worked to restore power inside the airport
The outages impacted more than 50,000 in the Bay Area throughout the day
This is the tweet sent out by PG&E official Tamar Sarkissian, telling customers the matter is under investigation
In a tweet posted Sunday afternoon, PG&E corporate relations representative Tamar Sarkissian said she and her team are looking into it.
‘#Oakland: We are aware of the large outage in Oakland impacting approximately 50,000 customers. We are currently investigating the details and will provide more information on the timing of restoration as soon as we can,’ she wrote.
Twitter users, however, did not take kindly to her message, calling out the local electrical service company for ‘terrible equipment.’
‘Why is your equipment always catching fire?’ responded one Twitter user.
‘Your equipment is always catching on fire. you should be shut down and made a public utility,’ wrote another person.
It’s still unclear if Sunday’s incident was a targeted attack however there have been multiple substation attacks in recent months across the entire U.S.
Over the last three months, at least nine substations spanning North Carolina, Washington, and Oregon have cut power to thousands of customers.
The attacks are worrisome for those in states and areas where a lack of power could turn deadly.
In December, unidentified individuals attacked two power substations in Moore County, North Carolina, where some 45,000 people lost power.
Some customers were without power for up to five days.
Just weeks later, another attack occurred in Randolph County, North Carolina.
Eight attacks targeting power plants have been recorded in Washington and nearby Oregon in recent weeks, leading to them coming under scrutiny by the FBI
Four power stations in Washington state were attacked within hours on Christmas Day
Workers in Tacoma were spotted repairing a substation that was attacked on Christmas
In Washington state, two men were charged just after New Year’s Day for attacking four power stations on Christmas, leaving thousands in the dark and cold for the holidays.
The two men planned the attacks as a red herring so they could burglarize a local business, law enforcement officials said after the fact.
Between Washington and Oregon, there were six attacks on substations between mid-November and December in 2022.
The increasing number of attacks has caused some legislators to ring the alarm over the safety and security of substations across the country.
Bills have been proposed in states like North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arizona in recent weeks that would require 24-hour security at the power stations, or harsh penalties for attacks.
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