Downed Power Pole Blocks Martinez Streets, Causes Outage

MARTINEZ, CA — A downed power pole Friday in Martinez knocked out electric service to over 4,600 customers and resulted in the closure of multiple Martinez streets, according to the Martinez Police Department and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. The incident began at 1:10 p.m.; as of 4:45 p.m., Estudillo Street remained closed between Masonic and Ward streets, Green Street remained closed between Castro and Ferry streets, and Ward Street remained closed between Castro and Ferry streets, Martinez police said.

Road closures and power loss in the area may continue until 5 a.m. Saturday, police said in a statement posted to social media.

The initial power outage happened at 1:11 p.m. and affected 4,607 Martinez residences and businesses, according to Andrea Menniti, a PG&E spokeswoman.

"Within 20 minutes, crews safely restored power to more than half of the customers, with the majority of the remaining customers restored at 2:47 p.m.," Menniti said.

Approximately 50 customers will remain without power as crews work safely and as quickly as possible to make necessary repairs, Menniti told Patch.

"While the cause of the outage is currently under investigation, it appears a downed tree damaged a power pole and lines," Menniti said.

Patch has a call into the Martinez Police Department for more details about the incident.

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