LOS ANGELES — An electrical vault exploded Tuesday morning, sparking a small fire and knocking out power to a 15-story downtown Los Angeles medical building. Fire officials said the blast may have been related to record-breaking electricity use during Monday’s extreme heat wave.
The explosion was reported around 2:14 a.m. Tuesday inside a first-floor vault of the Samaritan Medical Tower, located at 1127 Wilshire Blvd. and Bixel St., L.A. Fire Dept. Battalion Chief Fred Mathis told KTLA.
The force of the blast caused the building’s front door to blow out, and a small fire was ignited inside the vault, Mathis said.
No one was injured in the explosion.
Firefighters were examining the building for damage. The lobby appeared to have taken the brunt of the explosion, Mathis said.
The DWP eventually shut off power to the building while fire crews tried to contain the blaze.
“The big problem is it’s an electrical vault. We can only put limited water on the vault and we had to work with the DWP to get the power shut down to the building,” Mathis said.
The fire was put out at around 5 a.m., officials said.
Mathis said there were several “localized blackouts up and down Wilshire” based on the power strain from Monday’s record-setting electricity use.
Downtown Los Angeles recorded a record-breaking 113 degrees during Monday’s extreme heat.
Westbound Wilshire Blvd. has been shut down in the area as a result of the investigation. The closure was expected to remain in effect until at least 8:30 a.m.
Republished with permission from KTLA.