Wiring error blamed for Southern California power outage
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Southern California Edison says a "wiring error" caused a brief power outage that affected 100,000 customers.
The utility on Wednesday said the error occurred Tuesday morning at a Torrance substation where electrical components were being modified as part of a project to improve reliability in the South Bay area near Los Angeles.
Customers in Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Hawthorne, Gardena and Torrance lost power for up to about 80 minutes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One customer, a refinery operated by PBF Energy in Torrance, evacuated many of its employees and burned off petroleum products as a safety measure, creating a flare that could be seen for miles.
Edison says it's halted the reliability project until the accident is reviewed.