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Thousands without power as California sizzles
2007-09-04
Around 40,000 homes across California were without power Tuesday as searing temperatures roasted the region and drained the electricity grid, authorities said. Around 11,000 residents were still suffering from power outages across Los Angeles while a further 29,000 households were without electricity in the areas surrounding the metropolis, utility companies said. Los Angeles and parts of southern California have been in the grip of a ferocious heatwave in recent days, with temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in several districts. An investigation was launched late Monday following the death of an elderly couple in their 80s in Studio City, a suburb north of Los Angeles, officials said. Firefighters who broke down the door to the couple's apartment said the temperature in the flat was at least 110 degrees (43 Celsius), Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. Forecasters have said the extreme heat was expected to subside on Wednesday as power companies battled to restore electricity to blacked out neighborhoods. Electric circuits shut down automatically on Monday to prevent overheating, a spokeswoman from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said. "Most likely, the outages of the past three days and this one were due to the high temperatures and high demand for energy and air conditioning," MaryAnne Pierson said.
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