Fort Lauderdale residents and businesses experienced a series of power-related interruptions this week, with a significant outage impacting Dillard High School and a downed power line causing additional outages and a gas leak nearby. Yesterday, Dillard High School had to dismiss classes early due to a loss of power, WSVN reports. Florida Power & Light (FPL) crews were on site working to restore electricity so the school could resume classes today.
Further complicating the city's week, a downed power line on Tuesday morning cut off power to homes and local businesses, as well as causing traffic disruptions along Broward Boulevard, Local 10 News detailed. As a result of the incident, which happened around 7:20 a.m., nearby high-rises reported seeing a flash of light and a puff of smoke, which prompted calls to emergency services.
According to Local 10 News, at the height of the outage, approximately 1,700 FPL customers found themselves without power. Traffic lights went dark, and businesses, including Louie Bossi’s Ristorante Bar Pizzeria, were left without electricity, impacting operations. "I heard a loud explosion," said Elaine Harmych, a local resident affected by the outage. Zach Morris, the bar manager at Louie Bossi's, described the scene, "There’s sparks flying everywhere." He also recounted subsequent events, saying, "About 15 minutes later, I heard another bang and saw my power was off."
FPL addressed the downed power line promptly and restored power to 90% of customers by 9 a.m. the same day. Nevertheless, a small section of downtown Fort Lauderdale, just a block away from Las Olas Boulevard, remained powerless for a longer stretch. "FPL is responding safely and quickly to restore power to customers following a downed power line in Ft. Lauderdale," an FPL spokesperson assured in a statement obtained by Local 10 News. They also noted that they are investigating the cause of the downed power line and confirmed that no one was injured in the incidents.
The power is largely restored, and Dillard High School is expected to reopen.
