Fire Causes Major Blackout In Puerto Rico; 3.5 Million Without Power

Firefighters at the power plant in Puerto Rico.

SAN JUAN – The entire island Puerto Rico fell into a blackout Wednesday following a major fire at a power plant that left officials wondering what had happened.

It is unclear when power will be restored, local media reported, but the fact that a single fire could leave 3.5 million residents (1.5 million homes and businesses) without electricity demonstrates once again the fragility of aging power grids. Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. Local media initially reported that all of the island was without power, but then retracted that and said that it was most of the island .

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The fault occurred along a pair of 230,000-volt transmission lines, officials with the electric company said.

“We are investigating the causes,” said Geraldo Quinones, a press officer for the electric company.

The company had been seeking funds to replace outdated equipment, local media reported.

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