Manhole Cover Blast, Power Outage Reported At Liberty Station

UPDATE: SAN DIEGO, CA – A small explosion caused by a malfunction in an underground transformer sent a manhole cover flying Friday, leading to a brief shelter-in-place order for residents and businesses in Liberty Station Friday, but there were no reports of any injuries.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and San Diego Gas & Electric were dispatched to the area of Truxtun and Womble roads around 2 p.m., according to fire-rescue spokesman Jose Ysea. A witness told authorities that smoke was emanating from the sewer, but the smoke had dissipated within about 30 minutes, Ysea said.

A shelter-in-place order was issued for Liberty Station, which includes numerous supermarkets, shops, schools and homes.

Crews eventually determined the blast was caused by a blown underground transformer. After turning off electricity to nearby power lines, authorities determined the area was safe and lifted the shelter-in-place order.

"The only issue that remains is traffic," Ysea said.

The Fire-Rescue Department asked people to avoid the area, since portions of the main thoroughfare Truxtrun Road were closed to allow crews to repair utility infrastructure.

An SDG&E outage map showed that as of mid-afternoon, 218 customers were without power in the northern part of Point Loma.

By City News Service

SAN DIEGO, CA – People at San Diego's Liberty Station are sheltering in place Friday as officials investigate a report of a possible sewer cover explosion.

A blast involving a manhole cover in the area of Truxtun and Womble roads was reported about 2 p.m. A witness told authorities there was smoke coming out of the sewer, but that was no longer the case 30 minutes later, according to Jose Ysea, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Crews from the fire department and San Diego Gas & Electric are investigating the incident. The intersection is located in the heart of the dense Liberty Station district, which includes numerous supermarkets, shops, schools and homes.

Authorities have told people in the area to shelter in place.

"They are taking precautions," Ysea said. "There are a lot of schools here."

The schools, including High Tech High School, are informing parents of an alternative location where they can pick up their children in order to avoid the area of the reported blast, Yesa said.

A nearby power outage started at 1:33 p.m., according to the SDG&E outage map. The outage is affecting 1,246 customers in the area.

SDG&E is assessing the outage to determine the cause. The power is expected to be restored by 4:30 p.m.

No other information was immediately available.

By City News Service; Kristina Houck/Patch contributed to this report.

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