Explosion knocks out power in Goleta

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

An underground electrical vault exploded in Goleta Wednesday morning, resulting in the evacuation of a nearby business and a power outage that affected more than 450 customers, fire and power officials said.
County firefighters responded to 6740 Cortona Dr. at just after 9 a.m. after witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke exploding from the vault, County Fire Capt. Eli Iskow said.

He said the fire “blew itself out” with the explosion, and didn’t cause any injuries or damage to the street or nearby structures. Firefighters allowed people to return to the evacuated building after securing the area.
Steve Conroy, a spokesman for Southern California Edison, said an underground power cable and mechanical switch failed at around 8:54 a.m. While Conroy said a cause has yet to be determined, Capt. Iskow said water intrusion from recent rainfall is the likely culprit.
“We had the majority of customers back up around 10:30 a.m.,” Conroy said, adding that three customers are expected to remain without power until around 1 p.m. on Thursday.
“We obviously have some work to do,” he said, explaining that the explosion caused collateral damage and several components had to be replaced. “We will work as quickly as we can to get power back to those customers.”
The initial boundaries of the affected area were Highway 101, Storke Road, La Patera Lane and Cecil Cook Place.