UPDATE: Seagull Causes Downed Wire, Power Outage.

UPDATE: 10:30 p.m. Sunday, March 10, 2013.

Napa Fire Department officials said a seagull that got electrocuted was the cause of a downed wire early Sunday that led to a large power outage in the vicinity of Laurel and Avon streets in Napa.

Napa Fire Capt. Doug Bridewell said firefighters responded to a call just before 8 a.m. of a downed wire and smoke in the area. Firefighters later located a seagull that "had definitely been electrocuted" on Harrison Street, Bridewell said.

Two fire engines units and a battalion chief set up a perimeter in the area to keep people away from the downed wire. Napa Police were called in to help with traffic control.

Bridewell said the wire apparently came down on top of a minivan and on the roof of the Mi Familia Lavenderia laundromat, causing damage to the rubber membrane on the roof of the laundromat.

He said there was considerable smoke from the downed wire and the roof membrane burning, but that the transformer did not appear to be affected. Firefighters stayed at the scene until PG&E arrived to shut down the power so they could repair the downed wire, Bridewell said.

Other published reports said as many as 3,000 households were affected by the power outage.

ORIGINAL STORY: 9:30 p.m. Sunday, March 10, 2013.

A malfunctioning electrical transformer caused downed wires and a power outage Sunday morning, Napa Police said.

Napa Police Officer Adam Davis said the incident began at about 8 a.m. near the intersection of Laurel and Avon streets.

"There was a lot of smoke coming from the transformer, and there were downed wires," Davis said.

He said extra police officers were brought in to erect barricades and to divert traffic away from the area of the downed wires for safety precautions.

"It is a standard practice," Davis said of the traffic changes.

Davis said he had no immediate word on what caused the transformer malfunction or information on how many households were affected by the power outage.

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