Large sections of Downey, Norwalk lose power on Christmas Eve due to transformer failure
A transformer failure caused a power outage in the Downey and Norwalk areas, affecting tens of thousands of customers on Christmas Eve.
Outages were reported in Downey at 1:35 p.m. affecting 24,187 customers, according to Southern California Edison’s outage status website. The cause for the outages was listed as “storm conditions,” and the predicted restoration time for most customers was by 5 a.m. Christmas Day.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service predicted a light afternoon rain on Christmas Eve that would dry up by the evening.
In the unincorporated area near Ada S. Nelson Elementary School in Whittier, an additional 12,437 customers had lost power.
Edison spokesperson Jeff Monford told The Times just before 3 p.m. that a transformer failure had caused power outages in Downey and Norwalk, but power had been restored to most customers earlier in the day.
Monford provided a statement at 6:40 p.m. regarding the outage.
“We understand having a power outage on a holiday is a hardship. We continue to work to restore power to our customers safely and as quickly as possible. This outage is a major priority for us,” he said.
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