Garcia Padilla said that the power failure on Wednesday is a sign that the US commonwealth needs to invest its resources in priority issues for the public, such as improving the electric infrastructure, and leave other matters – such as paying off its huge public debt – for a later time. Hundreds of people took to social media to criticize the Electric Power Authority, noting that they already pay bills on average twice that of the USA mainland.
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The government-run power company, Autoridad de Energia Eléctrica, said in a tweet that if things go as planned, about half of those customers should have their power restored by the end of the afternoon.
People buy ice during a massive blackout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, September 22, 2016.
The power outage forced the closure of universities and public schools.
Fire Chief Angel Crespo said a power switch got overheated, causing a 2,000-gallon mineral oil tank to explode.
Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said power had already been restored to about 130,000 people.
The company said in a press release that no injuries had been reported and the fire was controlled.
One man who slept in his vehicle so he could get some air conditioning told the Associated Press, “Puerto Rico is not prepared for something like this”. Many Puerto Ricans dragged mattresses out to balconies and porches to spend the night outside, doing what they could to ward off mosquitoes in the still air.
Smaller, more localised power outages are common in Puerto Rico, which has an outdated energy infrastructure, but not on this scale except following tropical storms.
The fire apparently knocked out a transmission line that serves the broader grid, which automatically shut itself down as a preventive measure, said Yohari Molina, a spokeswoman for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.
The Electric Power Authority said investigators were trying to determine what caused the fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon.
Officials expressed their concern about the system failure. “Lots of setbacks may occur”, the Governor said.
As sunset approached, lines formed at ice plants, supermarkets and gas stations, and people crouched around power outlets at generator-powered supermarkets and malls to charge cellphones.
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