ED3 explains cause of Thursday’s power outage

A power outage late Thursday afternoon that affected about 1,200 Electrical District No. 3 customers was apparently caused by an underground fault, according to the utility.

The power went out about 4:35 p.m. for residents in some parts of Glennwilde and Senita, according to Kari S. Woodward, director of customer care and billing.

EARLIER STORY: Power outage hits parts of Glennwilde, Senita and Villages

Service was restored to most customers by 8 p.m., Woodward said.

A preliminary review indicated the fault occurred in an area that was bored into by a third-party contractor a few weeks ago, she said. ED3 continues to investigate the section of cable that was previously repaired.

Two other non-related outages, found to be transformer issues, impacted an additional 23 customers on Thursday.

“Thank you to all the customers that showed support to our hardworking linemen and who showed their gratitude to these staff members during extreme heat temperatures,” Woodward said.

The temperature reached 118 on Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

The outage was short-lived – about 30 minutes – for some, but others said they were without electricity for nearly three-and-a-half hours.

According to posts on Facebook, the outage also affected some homes in the Villages. Some residents reported their electricity went out, came back on briefly and then went out again. Businesses in the Maricopa Business Center at the western end of Honeycutt Road also lost power – for about 30 minutes.