2,000 Without Power in Rolling Hills Estates After Underground Vault Exploded

ROLLING HLLS ESTATES, CA — Around 2,000 customers are without power in Rolling Hills Estates on Monday after an underground vault explosion, the Southern California Edison reported.

The explosion caused a small fire on the sidewalk on Crenshaw Boulevard at Indan Peak Road, Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Joey Marron said.

Firefighters received the call at around 4 p.m. and when crews arrived a few minutes later, they saw a smoldering sidewalk consistent with a vault explosion, he said. Southern California Edison was then notified.

The utility company was on the scene to assess the damage and the cause of the explosion, SoCal Edison spokesman Paul Netters said.

The explosion caused 2,000 customers to lose power, he said.

"Because we have yet to determine the cause, we don't have an estimated restoration time right now," Netters said.

The power outage are affecting residents south of Crestridge Road, north of Hawthorne Boulevard, east of Pacific Coast Highway and west of Drybank Drive.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has closed Crenshaw Boulevard between Indian Peak Road and Silver Spurr Road until authorities deemed it was safe for travel. No evacuations are underway nor expected, the LASD said.

As of 5:10 p.m., the sheriff's department has reopenned southbound Crenshaw Boulevard, but northbound Crenshaw was still closed at Indian Peak Road.